Double or Nothing review

If you read the article I penned last week about the lack of hype or more specifically, the proper build for All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing pay-per-view broadcast, you know I had rather low expectations ahead of the event. I also mentioned that I hoped for a quality event, and thankfully, the Khan-owned organization delivered, as the hindsight of this show could be noted as a very special event within post-pandemic professional wrestling, particularly because the crowd was wild for the vast majority of the PPV.

Usually, I don't discuss the pre-show matches, simply because the pay-per-views are usually four hours and have nearly a dozen matches so I attempt to keep these articles at a reasonable length for readers. (and I sincerely thank you for you taking the time to read this) However, the Riho/Serena Deeb match for the NWA Women's world title was great stuff and showcased both athletes very well. The common criticism of Riho is that she's too small to compete or doesn't look enough like an athlete to be a convincing contender, but this performance is a prime example to prove that wrong. The bottom line is, Riho can go bell-to-bell and at the end of the day, the ability to deliver quality in-ring matches surpassed any potential criticism. Along the same lines, Deeb, who was known for the first half of her career more for the fact that she was willing to shave her head to get a spot on Smackdown a decade ago, has shown she's one of the best female wrestlers in the United States. While the NWA crossover is a little murky because it hasn't translated to mean all that much yet, it's really good to see Serena get this chance to compete on this stage to be able to show her level of skill. Further, the match itself was worked well since the enthusiastic crowd was going to cheer for almost everyone on the card, but Deeb knew how to get the most from the contest with the correct psychology. She worked as the heel against her small opponent and it enhanced the narrative toward the conclusion of the bout. Deeb retained the belt, but this match was a win for everyone involved.

The pay-per-view opened with Adam Page vs. Brain Cage and it was a fast-paced contest that was a good kickoff to the broadcast. There was a little bit of everything here with dives, bumps, and some really solid back and fourth action. Page got the win following a confrontation with Team Taz and it looks as though Cage might split from the faction as the miscommunication set up for Page to get the victory. As I said in the prior write-up, I think Page should be the one to eventually unseat Omega as AEW world champion so it makes sense to give him a win on pay-per-view.

While I was on the fence about the buzz ahead of Double or Nothing, I wrote that one of the bouts that had a considerable level of anticipation was the tag title match, and it lived up to the hype from the promos that were cut on Dynamite. First and most importantly, both Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston have the "It" factor to truly connect with the audience, which is what ultimately draws money in the professional wrestling business. It was such a rowdy atmosphere as Moxley and Kingston burst through the doors into the arena and make their way through the crowd as "Wild Thing" blared in the background. When you can capture that type of energy you have a winning formula. The structure of the match worked very well and it was the right decision to have the bout resemble more of a brawl than the typical Young Bucks match. Moxley and Kingston aren't going to be doing spring boards on the level of some of the stellar high flyers on the show so you simply don't put them in that position. The Young Bucks still had a chance to work in their usual offense, but it was done in a way that emphasized the drama of the match as the action tilted back and fourth toward the finish. The bout had action, drama, and psychology so the argument could be made that this was the match of the night. The Young Bucks retained, but in truth, with as over as Kingston and Moxley, they don't necessarily need the belts, at least not right now.

Speaking of back and fourth drama, I usually write-off battle royals because in most scenarios, they follow a rather generic formula and the only thing of note is, who won and does it mean anything? All due respect to the prior winners of the Andre Battle Royal, but the track record suggest that the winner doesn't actually make progress from the victory in the battle royal. The draw of the deck with the cards as the entrants seemed a little too convoluted, even if it went along with the casino gimmick, and the only major criticism I had of this segment was the production on all levels was horrible. The camera missed eliminations, the announcers didn't know who was eliminated, and it led to a rather disjointed presentation. Although, it was nice to know that Paul Wight wanted to make sure Will Hobbs was okay when he seemingly disappeared to get some refreshments mid-match. However, the final sequence was just tremendous and a true credit to Christian as a top-notch ring general. When you take into account that he hasn't made a "big splash" in AEW yet since his debut, it makes sense to think that the former WWE star might be the one to challenge for the AEW championship, based on the level of intrigue it creates for a match that the fans didn't think they would see just a few months ago. The drama as Jungle Boy and Christian traded the advantage is pro wrestling 101 and was very well done. Jungle Boy got the win and will get a title shot in two weeks, which has me a little concerned because I don't see Omega dropping the title, and there's a fine line between a losing effort that puts a young prospect over or a match that suggests they aren't a main event talent. Obviously, Jungle Boy has the skills to be the future of AEW, but prehaps Tony Khan is playing this card too early unless they are ready to run with Jungle Boy as the champion. While it would disrupt the belt collector gimmick for Omega, with as over as Jungle Boy is, it might be worth considering to put the title on him for a short run.

After the tremendous tag title match and the electric reaction to the Jungle Boy victory, any match that followed would've been in a tough spot. Cody Rhodes was booked in this match to basically make the inexperienced  Anthony Ogogo look good, and he did his best, but this bout was just average at best. As I said last week, I'm not sure how relevant Ogogo's boxing background from several years ago is today, and the narrative of the British heat just didn't work. Essentially, this was Cody working around an opponent that just doesn't have the experience to be on live pay-per-view in a nearly 10-minute match. Cody got the win, but this contest wasn't anything memorable.

The card picked up from there when Miro beat Lance Archer to retain the TNT belt, and while it was only about eight minutes, these two made those minutes count as they went full speed throughout this bout. As far as a big man match, this one had it all, the agility, the power, and the physicality. In some ways, this reminded me of Boss man vs. Vader from 1994 because Miro and Archer can move very well for their size. This is the Miro that AEW should've booked upon his debut and I think most would agree that in retrospect, the entire association with the video games was a mistake since it didn't fully utilize his skills. Archer is another great talent and he would be a great asset on any roster.

I've read some criticism about the AEW Women's title match online, but I have to say I completely disagree. Sure, it had some sloppy moments, but the grittiness really emphasized the competition for the championship. The back and fourth aspects worked and for a finish that seemed obvious before the bell, the near falls worked because they put the result in doubt. This was the right call for Britt Baker to win the title, as it capitalizes on the momentum from the Thunder Rosa match, but it would be great to see a rematch because this contest also boosted Shida's stock as well.

Sting and Darby vs. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky was probably better than it had any right to be, and the fact that Sting did a dive at his age was incredible. This is where his status as a legend can be used to minimize his risk and maximize the impact. Let's be honest here, if Sting did the splash, a roar to the crowd, and the Scorpion death lock, the fans will be happy. Anything beyond that is just a bonus and the fact that Sting is willing to give this type of effort when he could easily coast on his reputation speaks volumes about him as a performer. Page launching Darby into the first row was insane, and was from the ECW playbook of Bam Bam Bigelow and Spike Dudley from 1997. I'm legitimately worried that Darby is going to suffer a career-ending injury because he gets the chance to truly have a top run in AEW, but I sincerely hope I'm wrong because he's one of the most dynamic performers in the sport today. Sting pinned Sky after a cool sequence saw Sting counter into the Scorpion death drop for the win.

The AEW World title match was really great and it went over thirty minutes so to discuss the details would be too lengthy, but generally, the bout worked so well because it actually incorporated all three wrestlers instead of the recycled format where one performer is always thrown out of the ring. There were spots that showcased each competitor well and while I didn't know what to expect from this match, it was a great contest. Omega retained and it was the right decision based on the belt collector gimmick.

Much of the same can be said for the Stadium Stampede, it was a good bout that went past the 30-minute mark. I wasn't a fan of the club scene, but the Konnan cameo was entertaining. Just to be clear, I'm not and won't be in favor of any type of cinematic elements because random or unexplained background music is just too phony. That said, the brawl that took the taped portion into the live arena was a good way to get the match stipulation the company wanted, but also involve the live crowd. Considering that this was the first pay-per-view with a full capacity audience, it made sense to book the baby face faction to get the win at the conclusion of the show.

VHS Memoirs Volume 18

After writing about Wrestle War 1991 last week, the 1992 edition will be the topic for the VHS Memoirs this week, simply because it was the next show in the queue on the Peacock app, and after watching the pay-per-view, that is almost the only reason anyone should watch this debacle of a broadcast. Similar to what I've written recently about most of this era of WCW, the management changes weren't common knowledge at the time, but you can definitely tell that the product was all over the place with a general lack of direction, especially with nine matches on the card. Considering that the War Games main event must be given a certain amount of time based on the intervals of the match, you'd think the office would avoid trying to shoehorn extra contests onto the pay-per-view. However, the attempt to try to get as many names as possible onto the show led to a series of underwhelming bouts because of the lack of quality or that they weren't given enough time to develop into anything other than a typical TV match.

The Freebirds successfully defended the US Tag Team titles against the combination of Terry Taylor and Greg Valentine. I have to be honest, I originally didn't recall Valentine even being on the roster during this period, and the duo with Taylor seems like a case of throwing two random wrestlers together that management didn't know what to do with more than anything else. The match itself was fine, nothing terrible, but nothing great either. It went almost 15 minutes and dragged at certain points so they probably could've had a better match if they took it home about five minutes earlier. A side note from this contest, despite the pay-per-view payoff, "The Hammer" looked about as thrilled as you'd expect him to be while he waited on the apron for the tag.

Johnny B. Badd beat Tracy Smothers in a basic match that was designed to showcase Marc Mero, which was the right decision, as he had his debut in the organization earlier that year. Tracy was always a solid pro and made his opponent look good during the bout, but this is a scenario where the match wasn't given the time to be anything more than an average WCW Saturday Night match. Granted, pay-per-views sometimes had preliminary contests around this time frame, but when you take into account the rest of the show, the majority of the card just didn't seem like PPV quality. It should be mentioned that while Mero was later overshadowed by Sable and booked to look like a fool in the WWF years later, he displayed a lot of athleticism, as well as a level of charisma with the Johnny B. Badd gimmick.

Scotty Flamingo, the grappler that went on to become Raven in ECW, got the victory over Marcus Bagwell, who went on to be fired from the WWF after that awful match on Raw in 2001. This match is okay, but really nothing worth going out of your way to watch. The most noticeable aspect is that it's somewhat odd to see Raven as Scotty Flamingo since he's so well-known for the grudge look.

Ron Simmons pinned Mr. Hughes in a match that went less than five minutes and is completely skippable. Ron Simmons was a main event level talent and a tremendous performer during his twenty-year career so you can draw your own conclusion as to why you should fast forward this segment.

The Super Invader, a short-lived gimmick portrayed by Hercules Hernandez, was a character that I completely forget existed in WCW. Although, considering this match against Todd Champion, I wish I wasn't reminded of its existence. Whoever gave Todd Champion his name definitely had a sense of humor and prehaps it was supposed to be some type of irony. This bout is just terrible and probably the worst on the entire broadcast. It's clunky and there were some botches. Super Invader got the victory, but there were no winners in the match. It went roughly five minutes and that was still too long for such a subpar contest.

Continuing the trend of lackluster five minute matches, Big Josh, complete with boots and a very short pair of shorts, beat Richard Morton, the Rock N' Roll Express member's brief heel run. Aside from Big Josh looking rather grimy, it's always odd to see Ricky Morton as a heel because it's just not what you expect after his legendary fire as a baby face. Big Josh got the win, but I would advise that you just avoid this match, and consider it a public service that I reviewed this match so you don't have to view it.

After three awful matches in a row and two typical TV matches, the process to rewatch this event was tedious to say the least. Thankfully, the athleticism of Flyin' Brain helped pace up the pace of this card, and while you won't find many stellar Tom Zenk bouts, this was probably the best match he was capable of, even if most of it was because he was working with Pillman. The future loose cannon retain the short-lived WCW Light heavyweight belt, a championship that was somewhat of a predecessor to the cruiser weight title, as the majority of its existence was based on early Pillman-Liger matches, which were undoubtedly the reason the same contest opened Nitro a few years later. Pillman retained the Light Heavyweight belt and his fast paced work in this match are one of the few highights of the show.

The Steiner Brothers beat Tatsumi Fujinami and Takayuki Iizuka in a match to determine the number one contenders for the IWGP tag team titles during the initial WCW working agreement with New Japan. I'm not sure if there was miscommunication in this contest or some type of disagreement, but this was a very stiff match and the two teams didn't seem to corporate during it. Iizuka gets a nasty cut near his eye and is bleeding for most of the match. From what I could tell, when Rick goes for an elevated elbow from the top rope while Scott holds Iizuka up, it looks like Rick's knee lands on his face when they hit the canvas. Again, I'm not sure if the match was just stiff based on the Japanese style of if there was legitimate hostility, but these bout definitely looked realistic and it was an entertaining contest.

Next was the main event and in many ways, it saved the show because this was an absolute classic that you should go out of your way to watch, even if you skip the majority of the pay-per-view. Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, and Nikita Koloff challenged The Dangerous Alliance of Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Rick Rude, Bobby Eaton, and Larry Zbyszko. As much as the 1991 version of this war games match was about the baby faces flying around the ring, the 1992 edition focuses on the violence of the bout. Stunning Steve is a bloody mess for the majority of the match and almost every competitor ends up with the "crimson mask" before the final bell. Steamboat's selling, as it always is, is really top notch here and tells the story of the contest well as the momentum tilts depending on if the heels have the advantage at each interval. The bout is wild as there was blood on the canvas, the turnbuckles, and the cage. At one point, Medusa scales the cage and drops Paul E's signature phone through the top, but is confronted by Sting so she quickly climbs back down to the floor while Dangerously frantically tries to make sure she gets back to the floor. Eventually, the turnbuckle gets unhinged from the post and Zbyszko attempts to hit Sting, but accidentally smashes Eaton in the arm. Sting uses an arm bar to get the submission and the victory.

Ryse at Ringside 9

I'm sure you've heard the cliche, "timing is everything" and while it's a cliche older than Paul Atlas, it's also very true, both in life and professional wrestling. When to launch a story, schedule a debut, or pencil in an event can be a key factor for success. Thankfully, Ryse is scheduled to make its return to live events and to Baldwin on June 19, 2021 almost 14 months after the last event at the Stronghold. As I've said before, I blame Lewis for this, as he took the venue with him when he departed Ryse to continue his work as a nuclear physicist in New Mexico. Anyway, Brandon K and the rest of the crew made the measured decision to wait until the terrible pandemic was near a conclusion before they would welcome a crowd to a Ryse event. It can't be understated enough that Brandon put the health of the fans and the roster as more of a priority than potential profit, which is extremely rare and commendable, especially in this business.

Still, others made less than wise decisions with their schedules long before the pandemic halted live pro wrestling for over a year. I decided to pen this edition of "Ryse At Ringside" this week because of social media, I was reminded of All Elite Wrestling's debut pay-per-view, Double or Nothing was held two years ago this week. The May 25, 2019 broadcast from the sold out MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV was a show that had months of anticipation behind it after Tony Khan, from the billionaire family that owns the Jacksonville Jaguars and a few other sports franchises, decided to start a pro wrestling company.

As I'm sure you've seen in recent weeks, a few Ryse stars, The Mane Event, have appeared on some AEW programming. However, before they were a profitable project on TNT with steady television ratings, the concept of All Elite was still just a matter of speculation before Double or Nothing went live in 2019. This was literally the first time in two decades, since the closure of Ted Turner's WCW, that a non-WWE entity had garnered this level of hype around an event or project. What All Elite was going to be or if it had a legitimate chance to get off the ground were all intriguing selling points for the PPV.

No matter who you were, whether you hoped for the Khan-owned project to spark the industry or someone that wanted to see the upstart group flop, the focus of the sports entertainment world was on Double or Nothing that weekend.

Reportedly, the event garnered an estimated 100,000 PPV buys, making it the most successful non-WWE broadcast since the previously mentioned shutdown of WCW. Considering the level of hype and anticipation ahead of the AEW debut, you'd think it would be a given not to attempt to compete in any way, shape, or form with the broadcast, right?

Not exactly, as a local Pittsburgh group attempted to run its own pay-per-view debut the same night. Through the now-defunct PWX organization, where I started on the mic in 2009 that I've mentioned in this column before, the owner Jim Miller started a women's wrestling league, Angel Gate Wrestling in 2018. The reasons why the doomed project was a total train wreck are numerous and another discussion for another time. However, after a revolving door of "video editors" that seemingly disappeared into the witness protection program within two or three tapings, Sorg and his talented crew agreed to be a part of the video production of the events so that the footage could be viewed by more than just a random video editor.

Since Sorg is a polished pro, the ability to broadcast the events through iPPV made it possible for the venture to be followed by fans outside of the Pittsburgh area. In theory, this was a decent idea because there were some very talented wrestlers, such as Roni Nicole, Sam Leterna, KC Spinelli, and others booked on the cards. The trio mentioned prior did very well and were highlights on the short-lived women's group, but several others that were theoretically scheduled to be a part of Angel Gate either cancelled or no-showed throughout the majority of the promotion's existence. Thankfully, the iPPV that was scheduled for May in 2019 had one minor change to the card, but nothing major. As was usually the case with both PWX and Angel Gate, Miller had done very little to promote the fact that fans that weren't in attendance live could order the show online. In fact, unless you already knew Angel Gate existed, there was no way for fans to know that a women's pay-per-view was going to take place that night. I should point out that while Miller has a rather notorious reputation, he was almost okay to me and I don't know him well so I can't really comment too much on him beyond that. It's almost comical to think that I called PWX shows in some form or fashion for over a decade, and didn't have more than a basic "hello, how are you?" type of conversation with him. If I had to guess, I would say that he's probably just a quiet person that keeps to him, rather than his lack of conversation as anything malicious.

Besides the fact that management didn't buy any ad space online to let fans know that a women's iPPV would be broadcast, it was running on the same night as one of the most anticipated wrestling pay-per-views of the past two decades. The broadcast itself went fine and the talented women that worked the show had some quality matches. Paul Atlas, based on the reviews that we got for our work at Ryse, called the show with me so it was easy to provide commentary for the event. Not surprisingly, I found out later that the iPPV buys for Angel Gate were in the single digits and even less of a surprise than that, Miller was stunned that Angel Gate didn't sell well online Timing is everything.

What's next for New Japan?

New Japan Pro Wrestling, the league founded by the legendary Antonio Inoki in 1972, has an extensive history with peaks and valleys, similar to the other major groups in the history of the industry. However, in the modern era, when some North American organizations might've struggled, NJPW steadily increased its profile after the promotion was purchased by Bushiroad, a company known for its production of a popular trading card series, in 2012. The turbulent decade prior and the reasons for it are another discussion for another time, but clearly, the Bushiroad purchase put the Japanese group on a path of success that has maintained most of its momentum over the past several years, even with some of the shifts of the business. The Bullet Club became one of the most popular stables in the world, Okada is in the prime of his career, the expanded distribution into the North American market was mostly successful, Kenny Omega brought a renewed buzz for the organization, and an increase in merchandise, as well as the launch of the NJPW World streaming service created more legitimate revenue streams for the organization.

But, after nine years of consistent growth, could this be the year that New Japan finally hits a wall?

In truth, this shouldn't be shocking or some type of earth-shattering news to fans. As mentioned, every promotion has down periods so if there's a moderate downturn in business, it shouldn't be a surprising revelation. The bigger story is if there's a decline, how will management handle it and what will be the ripple effect from it?

Just a few weeks ago, Will Ospreay, the British aerial wrestler that made his name originally with dazzling high spots before he added on some weight to transition to the heavyweight division, defended the IWGP title against former Dragon Gate star, Shingo in an incredible bout. However, last week the company announced that Ospreay suffered a neck injury so he vacated the belt.

I have to be honest, I was very surprised when Kota Ibushi dropped the title to Ospreay at Sakura Genesis in April, both for the setting of the switch and more specifically, the fact that Ibushi held the title roughly three months after an extended build up before he finally captured the championship. Sakura Genesis wasn't necessarily one of the "big" New Japan events on its calendar, such as Dominion or the G1 series, and had an under card of multi-person tag bouts so it was definitely a surprising title switch. Nothing against Ospreay, the guy proved he can go at a top level for the past several years and the heel turn worked well, especially with the addition of the Empire as a faction, but I really think there was much more to be done with Ibushi as champion.

That said, the switch was made to Ospreay, and it's very unfortunate that he had to vacate the championship a month after he won it. Obviously, New Japan management will have to choose another champion, but that is more difficult than just booking a tournament for the belt because of the current pandemic numbers in Japan. The Wrestler Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that almost a dozen wrestlers on the roster, including Okada tested positive for COVID. Along with that, the COVID numbers in Japan prompted a recent state of emergency and the Tokyo Olympics are in jeopardy of getting cancelled again. The vaccination rate within the country is reportedly very low and with the population density, the pandemic might remain more of a problem in Japan than in the United States, where most restrictions were limited. Accordingly, New Japan cancelled most of its upcoming tour schedule, including a Tokyo Dome event next month.

All things considered, it's probably better for the company to take time off from the schedule, if for no other reason than to allow for those on the roster with COVID to recover so that there are more options for the next pick for the champion. Ospreay posted a picture of an X-ray on social media this week and while the details of the injury haven't been confirmed, it certainly doesn't look like he will be back in the ring anytime soon. It's rather odd that it was reported that Ospreay is actually going to return to England for treatment for the injury, but he said early last year that he moved to Japan so prehaps the extent of the injury is serious enough that he wants to visit his usual doctor. Assuming that he will be on the sidelines for a substantial amount of time, the next IWGP champion will probably have to be more than just a transition champion until Ospreay returns to the organization.

It's fair if most fans automatically expect Okada to be the choice for the Japanese office because he set the standard for the New Japan product in the modern era, but considering that there were reports that he was booked to work a lighter schedule in recent months because of a back injury, it might not be the best decision to book him as champion until he's completely healed to avoid any further injury. That's the catch-22 of the New Japan style, while it delivers incredible athleticism and in its own way, a form of drama, it's inherently more risky. There were a few year serious injuries in New Japan in recent years so at some point the risk is more than the reward of a potential classic match.

With a portion of the roster in quarantine for COVID, the tour schedule halted because of the pandemic numbers in the country, and the new IWGP champion on the sidelines indefinitely, management's next move could be a key piece of the puzzle going forward this year. If I had a vote, I would choose Shingo to win the vacant title since it sets up for a natural storyline when Ospreay returns to attempt to reclaim the title that he never lost in the ring. Regardless of the plan, if the promotion looks to build steam after most of it was halted because of the initial shut down of the pandemic, it must be a carefully measured decision. Nothing against him, but Evil's brief title reign during the pandemic, didn't exactly spark a buzz around the IWGP title. At this point, Kota Ibushi with the belt again almost seems too recent so it would be considered a retread, but maybe it could be used to set up an eventual rematch with Ospreay.

Still, and prehaps the bigger problem for the company is that the combination of these factors has led to a roster that lacks depth. The good thing is that this might be the time that the working agreements with AEW and Impact can be used to boost the cards while a portion of the regular roster gets the chance to heal. Don't get me wrong, the NJPW product is known for its stellar in-ring quality, but I'm not sure how the group keeps any momentum with the amount of hurdles between the pandemic and injuries. If the New Japan office uses the working agreement with All Elite or Impact, the deciding factor might be based on any potential travel restrictions. Considering the quality of the product and the expansion for the product in the North American market, it would be disappointing if the progress of the organization is hindered, but it will be interesting to see the direction of the company in the next few months.

Where's the hype for AEW?

This weekend's Double or Nothing pay-per-view is the continuation of a signature event, as the memorial day weekend broadcast has become somewhat of a tradition for the organization, but ahead of this show, it seems like there's a lack of buzz around most of the card. As I've often said about traditional pay-per-view in the modern era, it's much more difficult to sell a $50 pro wrestling card than it was in the past, with the additional of thousands of hours of content for just $4.99 a month with the WWE Network on Peacock. This gets even more difficult when you take into account that there are millions of Comcast and Cox customers that get access to the Peacock platform included in their cable package. Granted, All Elite has a dedicated fan base and those fans will undoubtedly order the event at its usual price tag, which was seen in the past with the organization's solid buy rates. The bigger concern is that as the audience expands or at least the exposure to the product increases, will the company be able to get newer fans that casually watch the product to invest in the pay-per-views?

I'm not doubting or endorsing the notion one way or the other, but considering that the ratings fluctuate somewhat, it's fair to say that a portion of the All Elite audience watch more casually than the diehard viewers. A solid core of fans is obviously important, but more exposure is always a goal on the national level and the ability to avoid stagnant PPV numbers is almost just as important. TNA hit the wall even at its peak in terms of the amount of fans that would invest in a pay-per-view show and it ultimately put on ceiling on how much progress the organization made on a national scale. Perhaps, it's because some of the bouts were thrown together rather quickly, but for some reason, I just don't see the usual amount of buzz around Double or Nothing that there is for AEW pay-per-views.

I don't think there's necessarily one reason for the lack of hype, as there are different dynamics for each match on the card, but the more you look into certain bouts,  you can discover the reason for the lack of steam ahead of the PPV.

Cody's promo a few weeks ago on Dynamite to set up his use of "The American Dream" moniker was tremendous and a segment that can generate that type of legitimate emotion is usually a money promo. In a vacuum, Cody's delivery of the meaning of the American Dream is pure money, but the context of the feud hinders some of its sizzle. Anthony Ogogo has an Olympic level boxing background, but unfortunately, that was nine years ago and his brief pro career was cut short from an injury in 2016 so he doesn't have any direct momentum from it. That's not to say his boxing skills can't be used to promote him in pro wrestling, but it's not as though he had a chance to become a major star in boxing either. As far as the context of the feud, the sentimental baby face being covered in a foreign flag is an angle that was done several times in the past and it worked, but I'd almost say that considering the evolution of society, trying to sell the "foreign menace" isn't quite as effective today as it was previously. More importantly, to attempt to cast England as a foreign heel just has a disconnect because the war of 1812 was the last time there was any heat between the the United States and Britain. As far as the actual match, Cody is such a polished pro that he will make his inexperienced opponent look good in the ring, but as far as hype, this isn't a match that has a lot of heat with it. In some ways, this angle was booked backwards because Rhodes already beat the leader of The Factory, QT Marshall so anything after that is somewhat secondary.

Darby Allin and Sting vs. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky is advertised as a live bout so it won't have the benefit of any edits with a cinematic presentation. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a fan of any cinematic matches so on one hand, it was good to hear that this will be an actual bout, but on the other hand, it's somewhat concerning for Sting. Don't get me wrong, his role as Darby's mentor at ringside has worked very well, and Allin's run as TNT champion was effective to further establish him on the All Elite landscape. However, in the very few physical confrontations that Sting was used for on Dynamite, he definitely showed his age, which isn't meant as a jab against him, but rather a realistic observation. If anything, Sting should be limited to a few splashes in this tag match since he only has to play the greatest hits at this stage of his career to get a reaction. The problem for this scenario is, have Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky had any tag matches on Dynamite? Sure, there was the post-match confrontation with Sting after Darby dropped the TNT title, but that was immediately followed by the Lance Archer run-in to confront Miro so as talented as both Page and Sky are, this still comes across as a rather random pairing to put in the ring with a legend like Sting.

Speaking of the backwards booking of the Cody/Factory angle, another example of a somewhat backwards scenario is Miro's title win against Darby on Dynamite so close to a pay-per-view almost makes the title defense at Double or Nothing an afterthought. Does anybody think that Archer will beat Miro for the championship this soon? Miro is finally presented as the monster heel he should've been booked for since his debut so there's no reason for a short title reign. More specifically, this rivalry just doesn't have enough time to be built as a major title defense. The in-ring action should be very entertaining, but it lacks the selling point of the title being at stake. I understand the angle was based on Darby's consecutive defenses on television, but if Miro was going to win the belt within this specific time frame, the pay-per-view would've been the time to do it because as a result of the win two weeks ago, there's less of a focus on the title defense at the PPV.

 Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker is a bout that falls somewhere in the middle in terms of build up as compared to the rest of the card. Shida has done a really great job as champion and always delivers a solid bout, with an extended reign as champion. That said, it's obvious that now is the time to make the switch to Baker, especially after her stock increased following the tremendous contest against Thunder Rosa. I could be wrong, but I have to think that Rosa will appear to challenge Baker for the title. Some have criticized Rosa's lack of appearances of Dynamite since the incredible bout against Baker, but I would say it was a smart move. If the Baker/Rosa title angle was booked too soon after the no DQ match, anything they did in the title feud would be secondary to the great match they had before so allowing some time between it, gives the chance for their history to help build a title match without it looking secondary by comparison.

Another match that is in the middle of the road is Adam Page vs. Brian Cage. It should be at least a decent match, but it just doesn't have much sizzle to it one way or the other and seems to be more of a way to keep Page busy at this pay-per-view than anything else. For my money, when Omega finally drops the AEW belt, which shouldn't be for a while to get the most mileage from the belt collector gimmick, Page should be the competitor to win the championship.

Within the same category is actually the Stadium Stampede match, and it's somewhat puzzling that the company will put another bout that won't be in front of the live crowd on pay-per-view when they've finally a sold out venue for the show. I know the common criticism is that the blood and guts match is a finale to a feud, but it was booked as one of the first matches between these factions, and some might cite is as the common flaw so this observation isn't breaking new ground, but I would still completely agree with it. This is actually meant as a credit to the performers, but they delivered in the cage match in a major way, despite any timing issues that had certain points clunky, the bout was very memorable. Now, the problem is, in yet another case of booking backwards, I really think that anything done after this will be seen as rather flat by comparison. FTR bled buckets, Sammy got tossed around both rings, Proud and Powerful looked like stars in the war paint, and Jericho took a bump off the top of the cage. What else can realistically be done to top any of that? You've had the special event gear, the blood, and the big bump. The war games match more or less used everything in the playbook, which is fine for the finale or a rivalry, but I don't know how the momentum can be rebuilt for another crescendo in the rivalry. Furthermore, if the Stadium Stampede was booked first for television, I think it's an easier sell to the fans as a return of the gimmick match, but after blood and guts, it seems more like a recycled concept to have something another than a traditional match to put on pay-per-view. As mentioned, traditional PPV is a tougher sell today, and blood and guts would've been a solid selling point to the audience. I could be missing something, but I really don't understand why the company couldn't wait a few more weeks to book the cage match at Double or Nothing.

Speaking of Blood and Guts, that was the episode of Dynamite where it was randomly announced that Pac and Orange Cassidy where contenders for the AEW world championship, and the segment with Kenny Omega trying to dismiss Cassidy didn't work. It was flat and the timing of the verbal exchanges seemed off. Since that time, the Pac/Cassidy match was a no-contest to set up a three-way match for the title. There's less than a month of build up for this title match and that defeats the purpose of AEW running quarterly PPVs because the booking didn't maximize the time between the events to sell a world title match. In truth, since Omega and Pac had matches under the AEW banner before, it appears that Cassidy was thrown into the mix just to add some type of variety, but I would say that an Omega/Pac rematch would be a better quality contest because threat threat matches are difficult to structure. Another aspect is that while Cassidy had much more steam behind him after the Jericho feud last year, booking wise, not much was done with him since that time so he's not necessarily in the process of a push toward the main event. I hope the match is great, but as for as hype, it just lacks what you'd think there would be for an AEW pay-per-view main event.

The casino battle royal isn't really something that is used as one of the main selling points for the show so there's not a lot of discussion for it.

The only match on the card that really has anticipation around it is the tag title match, particularity because of the solid character work done for everyone involved. Moxley is a star, Kingston is an authentic gritty baby face, and the Young Bucks are believable heels. Regardless of the high spots and the star ratings, the ability be promote character that are over with the audience is still the key to drawing money on a national level.

I'm sure some of the diehard AEW fans will reaction negatively toward this article, but I wasn't trying to parse every match in an attempt to criticize it. Instead it was to attempt to discuss the lack of hype around the pay-per-view. As I've said many times, the existence of All Elite has done more more to benefit the industry than anything else in the past decade so I actually hope they continue their success, but if I had to pick a specific reason for the lack of buzz around Double or Nothing, I would say that it just doesn't have the marquee match with the "big fight" atmosphere on the card.

VHS Memoirs Volume 17

Continuing the trend of early-90s WCW for the VHS Memoirs, I picked Wrestle War 1991 for the next review, really only because it was a show I hadn't watched in years and didn't know what to expect from it outside of it was the event where Brian Pillman got dropped on his head in the war games match. As was often the case with WCW of this era, the quality of the pay-per-view was a mixed bag, but there were definitely a few gems on this show that are worth going out of your way to watch, despite some other contest being skippable. Technically, they aren't skippable right now on the Peacock app because of the horrendous rewind and fast forward feature, but you get the point.

Unfortunately, you can start by skipping roughly the first twelve minutes of the broadcast because Ricky Morton, Tommy Rich, and Junkyard Dog vs. Big Cat and State Patrol is about as much of a classic as it sounds. This match was announced as a WCW Six Man Tag Team title bout, regardless of that fact that the Morton, Rich, and JYD trio had no actual belts to signify their status. I was wondering why I have never heard of a six man championship existing in WCW and found that the title existed for only six months and was only featured a few times on secondary programming. A side note here, outside of the Von Erich/Freebirds feud, or lucha scenarios where the rules were designed for trio action, the concept of a six man championship just doesn't get off the ground because it's inherently a retread of the traditional tag team division. State Patrol, including Buddy Lee Parker of Power Plant fame, looked more like forest rangers than law enforcement, unless their gimmick was supposed to be that they were co-workers of Smokey The Bear. The only thing notable about Big Cat is, it was a chance to see Mr. Hughes wrestle without his sun glasses. The actual in-ring match was really nothing, but the six man champions retained their imaginary belts at the conclusion.

Thank Lou Thez, Karl Gotch, and all the other mighty wrestling forces in the sky, this card goes from one end of the spectrum to the other with the next bout. Bobby Eaton vs. Brad Armstrong is an absolute clinic of pro wrestling 101 from bell-to-bell. Everything these two do inside the ring ropes was crisp and smooth. The psychology, the selling, and the maneuvers were all top notch. The finish saw Eaton live up to his name with a beautiful leg drop from the top that was picture perfect to get the win. As great as this match was, it was also very disappointing to consider that for whatever reason, these two weren't really featured in a prominent spot for the majority of the rest of their careers. Eaton, who was closely associated with tag wrestling based on his time in the Midnight Express, had a few different stints where he would be back on the radar, including a tag run with  Steve Regal as The Blue Bloods, but wasn't used anywhere near his skill level when he was eventually used as an enhancement talent in the late-90s. For Brad Armstrong, prehaps he was too adaptable and made his opponents look too good in the process because when WCW had a myriad of recyclable mask gimmicks, he was usually the one booked for the role. Basically, when management knew they needed a good match for someone that had star potential, Brad Armstrong was a safe bet as someone for them to work with because you simply won't find a subpar Brad Armstrong match. Armstrong is undoubtedly one of the most underrated talents in the history of the business, but it speaks volumes to his talent that he always had a job with a major organization throughout his full-time career because he was a tremendous asset for any roster.

Next were a pair of five-minute matches so they could be discussed in the same category, despite how different they are on paper. There was a very random Joshi tag match when Itsuki Yamazaki and Mami Kitamura defeated Miki Handa and Miss A, which I'm guessing had something to do with the Japanese deal the organization had at the time that would become more prominent later on. The match itself was all action and very fast-paced so it was entertaining, but it seems somewhat out of place on the card. As mentioned it was only given about five minutes so there's not much else to say about it. Another very brief match saw Dustin Rhodes beat Buddy Landel for a decent contest, but it didn't have the chance to get beyond anything basic. This is one that would've been good to see get some proper time of the card because these two could go in the ring. Dustin was so early in his career at this point that he was essentially a quicker and more agile version of Dusty,  which isn't a negative, but more to point out that the boots and gear were a carbon copy because he hadn't found himself yet. The bigger point, though is that even just two years into his career, you could see the potential he had to become the big star that he was a few years later.

The Young Pistols of Steve Armstrong and Tracy Smothers vs. Jack Victory and Rip Morgan was a solid tag match that had it's moments. There wasn't anything epic, but it was a decent bout that showcased both teams. The Young Pistols got the win, but truthfully, this contest will make you wonder what might've happened with the future ECW stars if WCW didn't have a revolving door, as far as management in this era. In another example of it being disappointing that a talent didn't get more of a chance, Jack Victory showed that he was a good in-ring worker throughout this match, and while he was great in his role in ECW, I would guess he had the talent to accomplish more in his career if he was given more opportunity on a big stage. How Tracy Smothers didn't end up with a job for the rest of WCW's existence, similar to the tenure that Bobby Eaton had, is anyone's guess. Tracy was a guy that could work any role on the show so he's another asset that WCW didn't fully utilize during this time frame.

The Z-Man, formerly known as Tom Zenk, squared off with "The computerized wrestler" Terry Taylor, who had the gimmick that his manager, Alexandra York used a clunky laptop to determine the strategy for matches. Zenk, primarily a tag wrestler during the more memorable portions of his career, showed flashes of talent, but never reached a level more than an average performer that needed an opponent that could make him look decent in the ring. While Terry Taylor is infamously known as The Red Rooster, the other gimmicks he had didn't do him any favors either, as he was cast as a computer wrestler and then was dubbed the "Taylor Made Man," while wearing a dollar store version of Ted DiBiase's outfit. Taylor was a solid wrestler, but he's name remains polarizing based on some of his stints behind the scenes at various organizations. The match had a no DQ stipulation, but you won't know it unless you heard the announcements prior to the bell because the competitors didn't actually do anything outside of the typical match. Taylor got the win in a very average bout.

Vader vs. Stan Hansen ended in a no contest because you knew that neither wrestler was going to do the job, especially with the Japanese deals they both had at the time. The infamous "eye pop out" match was the previous year and while not quite as brutal as that, this was a very stiff contest. Nobody sold much, but it was still entertaining for about five minutes until the referee called for the bell.

Lex Luger vs. Dan Spivey was about what you would expect from it and Luger got the win. Next...

The Freebirds beat Doom to win the tag titles, but there wasn't really anything to the match, as it went roughly five minutes before the finish. With ten matches on the card, this was a familiar trend with this era of WCW, the attempt to shoehorn as many names onto the event as possible, often led to contest that weren't anything great, simply because they weren't given the chance to be more than an average TV match. Post-match Butch Reed attack Ron Simmons for the split of Doom, which lead to a Simmons push the following year.

The Four Horsemen vs. Sting, Brian Pillman, and The Steiner Brothers in a War Games match was a great main event with a lot of action as the baby faces were diving around the ring for various spots, as the heel bumps all over the place for their opponents. This particular War Games match was less about the blood and violence, and more about spots that showcases the fan favorite team. The fast-paced action was very entertaining, but the conclusion was somewhat flat when the referee stopped the match after Pillman was power bombed onto him head and couldn't continue the match. Overall, it was still a great main event and one of the hidden gems of the era.

Ryse At Ringside 8

With sports betting legal in most states, you see commercials for various websites that offer the chance to bet on your favorite team or athlete almost as offer as political ads during election season. When there's money to be made from tax and regulation, the politicians find a way to get it through. Ironically, that's also the only reason the state athletic commissions insist on a flimsy attempt to regulate independent wrestling, but that's another story for another time. Still, despite how common sports betting is online, I was surprised that there are actually websites that take legitimate betting action on sports entertainment events, such as some of the pay-per-views that make news on social media.

Since sports betting is legal and common now, I guess I can say this without fear of being excluded from any future Hall of Fame inductions. I bet on professional wrestling.

No, I haven't and wouldn't place a bet online for the result of a professional wrestling card, but there was a time that young Jim bet on the winners of the squared circle.

In the late-90s, my grandma on my mom's side of the family lived in Las Vegas for a few years before she eventually moved back to Western, Pennsylvania. Considering that bingo and slot machines are two of her favorite hobbies, she enjoyed her time in the gambling capital of the world. I don't recall the details, but her cable package at the time, for whatever, reason actually included some of the wrestling pay-per-views, which was more of a peak than it sounds like now. Keep in mind, before an app or a streaming service had thousands of hours of content on demand, pay-per-view was a much bigger deal across the board, whether for sports entertainment, boxing, or even movies. The $35 pay-per-views included in a satellite or cable package were actually a selling point at the time, and if I had to guess, I think it might've been an option for her because of the time difference of the west coast not exactly putting the broadcast in a prime time spot.

In western, Pennsylvania, young Jim would patiently wait while someone was on the phone with the cable company to try to get the order through before the actual event started, another aspect those in the streaming era wouldn't understand, as it was a process to get the broadcast beamed to your television.

My grandma wasn't necessarily a major fan, but she knew who the key players were because I've followed the sport my entire life. In fact, for my sixth birthday, she got a t-shirt made that had Bret Hart's picture and my name screen printed on it. Hearing of the big wins from slot machines or the bingo jackpots made betting a part of the conversation, even if I wasn't old enough to actually play the games.

Instead, I bet on what I knew when I was in elementary school, professional wrestling. Of course, this couldn't be as simple as picking winners for an amount, the stakes had to be increased for the more important bouts on the card. As mentioned, my grandma would be watching the live broadcast in Las Vegas, while my family ordered the show in Pennsylvania so we could each follow the results. Regular matches on the under card were basic so they were a quarter for each match, title bouts were 50 cents, and the main event was a dollar. Yes, I know the stakes are overwhelming for most sports betters. Anyway, since we didn't know the specific order of the matches until they hit the screen, we alternated picks for winners, and yes, little Jim was mad when a villain represented my chances to win. Prior to each match, I would either call my grandma or sometimes she would call first, and we would make picks for the upcoming match.

Yes, I literally called Las Vegas to place a "bet" on pro wrestling in the late-90s.

If I was ahead for the pay-per-view, my dad would cover my grandma's tab of a few dollars, and thankfully, he told me he could "get it for the next WWF show" if the dastardly heels had me in the red for the night. Although, this wager experience wasn't always without it's controversy, as nine-year-old Jim protested at the conclusion of the finals of the WWF title tournament when Vince McMahon helped The Rock beat Mankind for the championship with outside interference. In reality, this was booked as a spin off of Montreal the previous year, but young Jim refused to accept the corporate champion's tainted victory. Instead the bet was declared a draw or a "push" in gambling terms.

As silly as it might seem in retrospect, it was always fun and a reminder of an era where pay-per-view still had a major atmosphere around it. I'll probably sound like my grizzled broadcast partner, Paul Atlas when I said this, but "back in the day" these pay-per-view shows were one of the most lucrative revenue streams for the national organizations so there was always a major push to sell the show to the audience. This dynamic was even more of a priority when there were three groups on pay-per-view in the late-90s and there was definitely competition for the pay-per-view dollar. For example, in February of 1999 Ted Turner's WCW offered Super Brawl with Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair for the title in the main event, which was countered by the WWF with Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon in a steel cage for the St. Valentine's Day Massacre broadcast.

How those decisions affected each organization is another discussion for another time, but the point being, the concept of pay-per-view was a special event. Today, the dynamic of the television business and the technology of streaming services makes it more profitable for at least the WWE to churns out countless hours of programming for a hefty television contract that is designed more to maximize ad revenue for the particular platform than anything else so the priority is often quantity before quality. Still, during the late-90s, it was always fun to watch these pay-per-view shows with a few dollars on the line and if I won an extra two dollars at the conclusion of the main event it was a win-win situation.

AEW Rampage announced

All Elite Wrestling made headlines on social media earlier today when Tony Khan announced the long-rumored second AEW TV show to be officially set to launch in August, airing Fridays at 10 PM on TBS. Along with that, he confirmed that Dynamite will make the move to TBS, which would avoid any scheduling conflict with NBA games in the future.

I have to be honest, my initial thoughts on this are rather lukewarm and less enthusiastic than I would've originally pictured for a second All Elite television show. First, I'm a little concerned that the company might unintentionally fall into the pattern of producing more content based on the amount of footage WWE churns out on a weekly basis. A certain number of hours of programming a week might seem easier to consume for viewers compared to the WWE line-up, but most TV entities have a consumable schedule compared to the WWE umbrella so it's not always an accurate measure. In short, Tony Khan needs to make sure he doesn't over expose his product or overestimate the supply and demand of AEW programming.

I might be in the minority on this one, but I don't think that more wrestling is automatically a better option. Keep in mind, one of the reasons that WWE has countless hours of programming is because they are in the position with their share of the market and the dynamics of the TV business to be able to profit from a level of content that is almost unrealistic for a viewer to completely keep track of during the course of the week. Does ANYONE watch Raw, Smackdown, NXT, Main Event, and 205 Live each week?

One of the many gripes about the WWE landscape is that there's actually too much content, and as a result most of the product gets lost in the shuffle with very few aspects that stand out. All Elite, as much as the possibility for their own streaming network in the future might be an option, should avoid the pitfall that would ultimately dilute the quality of the product in exchange for more hours of content. The chance to produce as much content as WWE doesn't put AEW on the same level, which is completely fine because All Elite is relatively new and can still be a major player in the industry without the type of numbers the WWE touts at conference calls. Again, I'm probably in the minority on this, but I don't want to have to watch half a dozen hours of wrestling to follow what's going on in a company. If anything, the two-hour format of Dynamite was refreshing because it was just enough time to allow for specific  angles to develop throughout a show, and the two hours of television a week doesn't have to be a chore to follow the storylines.

As far as Rampage itself, I'm not sure how much a one-hour show on Fridays will help progress AEW as a whole, simply because Friday night, despite WWE's big investment in the blue brand on Fox for broadcast television, isn't traditionally a major TV night, especially for the audience that All Elite draws with Dynamite. This brings up the question, with the addition of Rampage, what happens to AEW Dark and Elevation on Youtube? Again, too much content will just dilute the quality of the product. There are some episodes of Dark and Elevation that are almost two hours so that would be a total of six hours of All Elite content within a given week, who really has time to watch that much pro wrestling?

While the Youtube shows are basically enhancement matches, which is fine, the type of matches for Rampage will be a key piece of the puzzle to determine its impact on AEW. If it's another show that books mostly enhancement matches, it doesn't bring anything new to the table, but if it attempt to continue angles from Dynamite on Wednesday, there's a risk that a portion of the Dynamite audience isn't going to tune in on Fridays so it's definitely a difficult balancing act. Furthermore, while it might be a lateral step in terms of television clearance, I think the move to TBS does take away from some of the shine of Dynamite because there was such a history of wrestling on TNT.

Yes, I know I'm being too pessimistic here, but considering that All Elite is the best shot the sports entertainment business had at legitimate competition in the past two decades, I'm always going to be cautious since the wrong move for an organization can often have a domino effect. Perhaps, I'm more concerned with the fact that Dynamite still has some fundamental flaws that should be fixed before Tony Khan attempts to book a second television show. Don't get me wrong, this isn't meant as a jab against Tony Khan, the guy is from a billionaire family and could buy an island to sip lemonade on for the rest of his life. He doesn't need pro wrestling, and clearly All Elite is a passion project for him. He put his money up and took the risk to attempt to make the sports entertainment business better in the process, which the group has done in many ways for both the wrestlers and the fans. That said, he's also a guy that goes into the job of CEO and head booker of a company with no prior experience. Does that mean he can't do a good job? No, but it does highlight that he might be prone to rookie booking mistakes, flaws that are made on the mainstream stage of national television, not an independent card in front of 100 fans.

As I've said many times, AEW isn't perfect and nobody should expect it to be, but the addition of a second national TV show will be even more challenging than Dynamite, which might lead to some of those rookie mistakes being made again. The main example I will cite here is one of the major criticisms of Dynamite for the very repetitive segments and format of the broadcast. There definitely are too many factions that are there more to try to shoehorn as many performers on TNT as possible than anything else, and there are too way many run-ins after matches. Essentially, there's too much being jammed into segments and it becomes an unorganized mess at certain points.

If Tony Khan is working with a limited playbook to begin with, another show on cable won't help the problem. The more segments there are to book, the more of a possibility there is for repetitive formats to be more of a flaw for the company.

Backlash review

As a native of Western Pennsylvania, I can appreciate the zombie genre, as the legendary George A. Romero filmed the cult classic and extremely influential "Night of The Living Dead," the movie that kick started much of the zombie playbook, in the region. You might've noticed Corey Graves mentioned the Monroeville Mall, the site of one of the franchise sequels and another classic "Dawn of The Day" on commentary during the show.

Considering the nature to "fight" the zombies to stop them, it almost seems natural for a pro wrestling spin on the post-apocalyptic world, especially because of the history of both being linked to the same area.

However, for whatever reason, nobody has been able to correctly put together a successful mixture of the two, and the Backlash lumberjack match was no exception. Several years ago, some B-level film maker produced "pro wrestlers vs. zombies," a D-level presentation that is 90 minute of a poorly-edited film that is on par with the infamous "Heroes of Wrestling" pay-per-view. The audio mix is so awful that it unintentional resembles those old Godzilla movies at times when you can tell the dialogue isn't quite in sync with the lines actors say on screen.

I would rather watch an hour and a half of Great Khali matches than sit through another viewing of Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies.

Despite the billion dollar TV contracts and the record-setting profits the company has touted in recent years, the WWE had its own B-level production at Backlash. Yes, I know it's easy to bury the segment since the level of terrible is blatantly obvious, but I think the ripple effect of such a horrendous skit goes beyond just the seven minutes it had at the pay-per-view.

Don't get me wrong, I understand that the WWE is a global publicly traded corporation, and advertising dollars are one of their biggest revenue streams, but whatever they got paid for the Army of The Dead spot wasn't enough for how lame it made their product look in the process of collecting the cash. Again, it's pro wrestling so you can stretch the limits of logic in some situations, but there's a fine line for that, and as I've discussed in recent months, stuff like the swamp fight, The Fiend nonsense, and the zombies completely jump the shark.

If  management had a wrestler open the door backstage like John Morrison did and happened to find zombies, it's goofy, but you can get away with it so there's no damage to the rest of the show. You can pack the broadcast with the Army of The Dead commercials and still get the point across to let fans know that Batista is in the film. When the office give zombies a segment on the show, it ultimately distracted from a solid event and instead of the angles, the talking point of Backlash will be the goofy zombies.

Obviously, how something is presented is the key to anything if it gets over, but as I've said several times about some of the more outlandish WWE angles, pro wrestling is based in reality and wrestlers aren't actors since they portray a continuous persona. For example, if you meet Al Pacino, he's not going to sign "Tony Montana" for an autograph because his role as a Cuban kingpin was contained to two hours of the movie. If you go to an autograph signing, Roman Reigns isn't going to sign his name Joe Anoa'i because of the nature of the role that wrestlers have in sports entertainment. The fact that sports entertainment is based in reality is important because the narrative doesn't allow for Braun Strowman to bring a ray gun to the ring to attempt to win the championship from Bobby Lashley. Sure, it's not typical that Stone Cold Steve Austin would drive a beer trunk to the ring, but assuming the former WWE champion has a driver's license, it's at least within the realm of possibility that he could drive a truck to the ring.

The way the zombies were presented and the context of the segment are what took the whole thing too far. It wasn't meant as a comedy skit, the wrestlers and the announcers sold it like they were in danger as if there were actual zombies around the ring. The announcers went as far as to claim they had to relocate from a "safe" spot in the Thunder Dome. Is the audience supposed to believe that actual zombies were around the ring? Furthermore, how did the zombies know to follow the rules of a lumberjack match since they didn't get into the ring until after the bell? If a person that used to watch wrestling in the Attitude era sees the clip on social media, what would the reaction be?

Sure, everyone knows that pro wrestling is scripted, but the ability for a perform to connect with the audience and for the crowd to believe in that perform is what allows for an emotional investment into the character. The emotional investment into a persona is what draws money in sports entertainment. The WWE audience didn't necessarily have to believe that Stone Cold hijacked a cement mixer to destroy Vince McMahon's car, but they believed that Steve Austin was a gritty pro wrestler from Texas that drove a truck and drank beer, and that's basically who he was so there was an authenticity that the fans could identify with for the product.

When the office tried to sell that actual zombies were on the broadcast, it's just lame and it makes the audience shake their head. How are the fans supposed to invest and believe in Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, or any other star on the broadcast when management tries to tell the audience that they are actual zombies on the same pay-per-view?

New Jack passed away

I have to be honest, when I saw New Jack's name trending on Twitter, I assumed that he had another run-in with the law or some other type of legal incident, but I was very sad to see that he passed away at the age of 58 due to a heart attack, which was confirmed by PWInsider's Mike Johnson.

On the surface, one might say that twenty years after ECW closed its doors that unfortunately, it's not uncommon for some of the former extreme grapplers to pass away at a young age, especially from the well-documented risks that many of them took both inside and outside of the ring. Both Axl Rotten and Balls Mahoney passed at the age of 44. Still, it was shocking to see the news confirmed that the "Original Gangsta" was gone, considering that he exuded intensity and was the subject of an episode of season two of the critically-acclaimed, Dark Side of The Ring series. As he told wild tales to Vice TV cameras in a way that only New Jack could, it just didn't seem like it was someone that would be gone less than a year later.

As controversial as he was charismatic, the real-life Jerome Young quite literally carved his own niche in the professional wrestling industry for one of the most unique careers in the history of the business. A bounty hunter before he entered pro wrestling, Young had a very traumatic upbringing with turbulence at home and had run-ins with the law during his youth. During a very insightful "Breaking Kayfabe" interview with Sean Oliver from Kayfabe Commentaries, Young shed some light on some of the disputes within his family, but didn't provide too many direct details. One of the real-life revelations from that interview was that while his wrestling persona claimed four justifiable homicides during his time as a bounty hunter, the real-life competitor explained it was one justifiable homicide during his work in the field.

As much as the scripted sport of wrestling is on the other side of the spectrum from that of a bounty hunter, Young got his start in the ring when he trained under Ray Candy, who was an accomplished grappler as a part of the The Zambuie Express, working for a variety of organizations during a nearly twenty-year career. After a stint on the independent scene in Georgia, New Jack was paired with Mustafa Saed to form "The Gangstas," a duo from South Central LA, in 1994. The team got a break in Smokey Mountain Wrestling, Jim Cornette's throwback territory of the mid-1990s, and while the gimmick was too much for the region at the time, New Jack's topical promos about the tension of the era got him noticed around the wrestling scene.

Ironically, New Jack made his name on a national scale doing anything, but wrestling. However, the SMW stint where The Gangstas worked with the Rock N' Roll Express, New Jack actually could perform the technical maneuvers.

Still, the bread and butter of his act went beyond a picture perfect maneuver. New Jack had a believably and an authenticity that very few had during his era. Jerome Young fully embraced his "Gangsta" persona and while it made him standout during the boom period of the industry in the late-90s, the decisions he made with it ultimately put a ceiling on his career.

The Gangstas tag team was brought into ECW in 1995, a year when the South Philadelphia-based group began to pick up steam, and by the following year, there was a possibility of pay-per-view, which is where the big money was to be made on a national scale in sports entertainment. Keep in mind, this was two decades before the expanded distribution of media made broadcast fees one of the most lucrative aspects of the television business. For example, the WWE makes record-setting revenue today with it's TV deals because the genre brings a consistent and steady rating, which is key to maximize ad revenue for cable networks. The fact that Vince McMahon produced weekly live content, which brings a better ad rate, is enough for the networks to offer major money to broadcast his shows. That scenario is made possible by the fact that there are more forms of media now than any other time in history so advertisers look for the most efficient way to market their products, and an organization with an established fan base gives them an edge in the crowded marketing landscape. Basically, the option for fans to invest in the product with WWE Network subscriptions is almost secondary, just getting viewers to watch the product is a successful situation because the money to be made from the television contracts is the biggest revenue stream.

The reason I explain this is, it's important to understand that during ECW's existence, pay-per-view, the ability to sell consumers on a direct wrestling product, was the biggest money to be made in the industry. ECW's ability to become a commodity on pay-per-view really was the difference between another national promotion in the United States or just a regional organization that stars might work for in between stints in the big leagues.

As is well-documented, Eric Kulas, a 17-year-old that claimed to be a wrestler, used a fake ID to get a spot on an ECW house show as a last-minute replacement for Axl Rotten, who couldn't be at the show in 1996. What followed was the infamous "Mass Transit Incident" where New Jack took a blade and cut Kulas, who requested that he bleed during the contest. Clearly, New Jack went overboard with the blade job because Kulas was arrogant backstage before the event started. Still, Kulas lied about his age, asked New Jack to cut him, and shouldn't have been in the ring. The aftermath saw ECW's pay-per-view debut for 1997 almost cancelled, and Young was charged with assault, but the charges were dropped after Kulas changed his story.

As charismatic and unique as New Jack was, there was no way the multi-million dollar corporations of WWF or WCW were going to offer him a contract after the incident put doubt on ECW's PPV future, which Paul Heyman eventually smoothed over to get Barely Legal back on the schedule. Essentially, the Mass Transit incident prevented Young from getting other offers at a time when there was fierce competition for talent in the industry.

Fast forward to 2004 when New Jack was scheduled for a WWE tryout with rumors that he would be involved with the John Cena/Carlito angle at the time. Young told different versions of the story throughout the years, but he either left or refused the tryout. Around this same time was when he got into a legitimate confrontation in the ring with a nearly 70-year-old Gypsy Joe, beating him with a bat at a sparsely-attended independent show. Just a few months before the Cena/Carltio angle actual took place on WWE TV, Young was involved in another real-life altercation in the ring when some goofy weekend warrior legitimately punched him as a match started in Florida. New Jack took a blade from his pocket and stabbed the opponent nine times before he kneed him in the face. New Jack was arrested for assault, but the charges were dropped.

This was again a scenario where Jerome Young took things too far and made himself unemployable with the national groups, even though he still had the talent to be an asset at that stage of his career. Some might argue that New Jack was just a typecast of an ECW performer with limited in-ring ability and his character only got over within that product.

However, I disagree because New Jack had the previously mentioned believably and authenticity, which is what ultimately draws money in the wrestling business. At a time when the industry was at a peak and there were three national companies, no other performer in the business was similar to New Jack or could maximize their minutes on screen quite like him. In a genre were narratives might be changed slightly to evolve as something more modern, which is fine, New Jack really was an original, which is very rare for pro wrestling. The music of Natural Born Killaz playing throughout his matches is an iconic part of wrestling history, and the clips of the insane balcony dives that were used in ECW TV intros were one of the aspects that made the organization standout, even though it didn't have the production value of the competition.

Young spoke about and sometimes glorified his past drug use in interviews. In some ways, especially after the prime of his career, it seemed like his inability to separate the character from real-life might've cost him bigger opportunities. I could be wrong, but I honestly believe that a performer with the mics skills and the presence of New Jack could've drawn money even after ECW closed. But, he stabbed someone nine times on tape, what national organization is going to take the risk of the negative publicity to sign him?

Thankfully, in more recent years, it seems like Jerome Young found a level of peace in his life, as he avoided any major incidents and appeared to be happy at his home in North Carolina. Cameos and social media clips showed him surrounded by memorabilia of his career that decorated the walls of his house so hopefully, after the trauma of his life that he was at least able to find happiness in his later years.

The career of Ronnie Starks

As is often the case in life, many people set out to find their own niche, the corner of the world where they can excel and pursue their own form of happiness. Sure, worldwide and international fame are glamorized in film and on television, but most just search for what suites them.

Professional wrestling is part theater, part sport, and part improv. The squared circle is quite literally a blank canvas where performers can illustrate tales of triumph, tragedy, and victory. One such in-ring confrontation was the well-known Iron Man match between Shawn Micheals and Bret Hart, two real-life rivals that brought the best out of each other inside the ring ropes. Regarded as a classic now, there was some doubt about an uninterrupted 60-minute bout as the main event of a live pay-per-view. Could "The Hitman" and "The Heartbreak Kid" keep the audience for an hour?

Of course, we know now that Vince McMahon's call of "the boyhood dream has come true" as Micheals bowed to the championship belt is a sound byte that has echoed in video packages for the past 25 years. The occasion became etched in the history books as a classic moment, a segment that proved to be very influential.

While Shawn Micheals is often referred to as arguably the greatest in-ring performer of all-time, and he inspired others to purse the sport in the process, there was one enthusiastic youth that tuned into the live pay-per-view that night that was particularly inspired by the championship victory.

Ronnie Starks, a loud and abrasive pro wrestling manager, was not yet so loud or abrasive when he saw the famous super kick as an 11-year-old fan. He didn't know it at the time, but the three-count that led to the final bell would shape the direction of his life.

"The mid-90s and the beginning of the attitude era were what really made me want to get into wrestling. Shawn had been one of my favorite wrestlers growing up so when he won the WWF title, I knew this is what I wanted to do," The now-grizzled vet said.

But, Ronnie wasn't blessed with the height, size, or natural athletic ability so he accepted early on that being an in-ring wasn't realistic or the best way he could contribute to the industry that he was obsessed with for most of his life.  

"Unfortunately, being a wrestler wasn’t in the books for me, but I always knew I’d be able to have something to offer in different platforms," he explained.

By 2007, Starks was an adult and wanted to give the crazy business a chance as to not look back and asked himself, "what if?" so he trained with a full wrestling class of other potential students with the assistance of a few Western Pennsylvania mainstays Powerhouse Hughes, the late Ron "The Beast" Williams, and the gritty Sniper. The accomplished trio didn't take it easy on Starks and had him learn the ropes just like any other student. They were impressed with his dedication and even more so with his gift of gab.

"The only thing that held me back from being a wrestler was the flip bump, but we all decided that managing and being a ref was best for me. I still did the same training as the rest of the class, I did nothing different. I honestly think they didn’t believe I'd stick around, but I ended up being the hardest worker in the group," Ronnie said.

All the bumps, bruises, and hurdles were worth it in November of that year when Ronnie put on the stripes to referee at a fundraiser event through Hughes' CWF organization for the California University of Pennsylvania. Starks found himself thrust into the deep end of the pool his first night in the industry on his debut event, as he was the only official available that night so he had to referee the entire card. Am exhausted Starks slumped into a chair after the final bell, but the brisk fall weather and even the extended ring work couldn't take away from what was a perfect moment for him.

"I was in heaven and I have to tell you, it was like a dream come true. I was young and hungry back then. I wouldn’t trade those memories for the world," Ronnie commented.

An introduction to the industry wasn't enough for the eager official and he soon took his act on the road, zigzagging across the tri-state area to gain valuable experience with his striped shirt to referee the action or a tie to rile up the audience as a villainous manager. Sometimes he found himself in front of a decent crowd somewhere in Pennsylvania and other times he performed at sparsely-attended events in West Virginia, but he always saw any chance to walk through the curtain as a chance to live his dream. He made for a solid official, but enjoyed the interaction with the audience as a manager for his prospects.

"Being able to talk clearly and use your mannerisms. It’s a shame that managers are becoming a lost art in pro wrestling, we play such an important role to make our clients look larger then life to create future stars. BC Steele was always good at that. I pride myself on my work, getting everyone over was always my main goal and I felt like I always did a good job at that. Marcus Mann was also really good at doing that. I felt like the three of us were the best in the area," Ronnie remarked.

However, the professional wrestling business isn't play time and the amount of training that Ronnie endured was pivotal for his longevity in the sport, but even outside of the ring, he still suffered his share of injuries, specifically a head injury that led to his hiatus from the business at various times over his nearly 15-year career.

"It’s no secret that I’ve been accident prone over the years. I’d get hurt and work through it. I got burnt out and just stop caring. People would always tell me I needed breaks, but I was stubborn and refused to listen. It all caught up to me over the years," Starks said.

Still, all the late-night car trips for meager pay and gas station food were a sacrificed he was willing to make because of the opportunity to emulate his wrestling heroes.

"Everything I’ve ever done in wrestling has been a blessing and rewarding. I worked in IWC during the Chuck Roberts era and got to work with future names. I traveled so much and met so many amazing people. I’ve worked for everyone and prided myself on being a dedicated worker. I earned the reputation for being easy to work with and being an all around good dude. I wouldn’t change a thing and i’d gladly do it all over again. I just wish I would’ve gotten a chance to work on a bigger stage. I just always wanted to be able to give back to the business. I just hope people look back at everything I've done and respect my accomplishments," Ronnie explained.

Despite all that, he considered one of his most important highlights was a trios title reign he had in the now-defunct Fight Society organization in McKeesport, Pennsylvania in 2019, as it gave him a slice of the championship glory that he saw beamed through his TV when Micheals claimed the belt.

"My biggest highlight was when they put enough stock in me to give me a title run in Fight Society. I’ve done so much, worked for everyone at some point, but this meant the most to me. I like to call that the summer of Starks," Ronnie remarked.

Post-pandemic, he isn't sure if there's more work for him to do on the independent scene or not, but most wouldn't be too surprised to see him show up on a local card in the future. Now, the 36-year-old Starks dedicates much of his time to his other passions in life, toy collecting and theme parks. It's not uncommon for him to jump in the car on short notice to visit a few department stores to see if he can find the newest Mutant Ninja Turtle or Ghost Busters releases. A steady career outside of the realm of professional wrestling makes it possible for him to be a frequent traveler to conventions in search of toys or to jet down the east coast to the theme parks of Orlando.

"I plan on moving to Florida within the next six years, I just want my life to be a constant trip to Disney and Universal," Starks said.

So, Ronnie Starks didn't get the land the super kick to win a championship belt on pay-per-view or land a contract that put him on national television, but he achieved his own personal goal of a role in the professional wrestling industry, a stint that he's very proud of today. If personal happiness and achievement can yield a measure of success than it's a safe bet that Ronnie Starks was very successful in the professional wrestling industry.

International Autograph Quest

The past year was challenging for everyone in almost every part of the world, with a global pandemic that affected almost every aspect of life. Political tensions, social unrest, and uncertainty around the end of COVID led to a rather depressing 2020. Uber Eats, Netflix, and prehaps an adult beverage provided minimal solace for bleak reports on the news.

Of course, professional wrestling, similar to many other sports league, was impacted by various pandemic restrictions. Still, nearly a year and a half later, there is only now a peek of a light at the end of the tunnel, as America's top two national promotions, WWE and AEW, have announced plans to resume their live tour schedule during the second half of the year.

With as much tension and division as the pandemic caused, professional wrestling remains a unifying force among those from different cultures that transcends perceived boundaries. Professional wrestlers and fans of the sport get the chance to witness the culture of different countries when they are brought together by the squared circle.

One such individual is Roy Lucier, one of the most diehard fans of the sport on social media and one of the world's most prolific memorabilia collectors with some of the rarest items displayed in his home office. As I wrote in an article here last year, Roy became a fan of sports entertainment at the age of just 7 when he saw Sgt. Slaughter brawl with Pat Patterson in 1981 on WWF TV, but his fandom was taken to another level in 1992 when he stumbled upon Steve Sims' "Lucha Libre Weekly" newsletter. A lifelong passion for the Mexican grappling arts, known for its aerial moves, colorful masks, and emotional drama, shaped the direction of his life.

A California native, Roy found himself a part of history on more than one occasion when he attended the famous "When Worlds Collide" pay-per-view from AAA in 1994, and sat front row for Antonino Inoki's World Peace Festival in 1996. Poster, programs, pictures, and masks are just a few of the items that can be found in his stellar collection. However, the true gems of such a massive amount of memorabilia were the extremely rare AAA Kelian line of action figures. Roy is one of the few known to have the complete line of figures, but he wanted to take it once step further to make the set something truly special, getting each possible figure autographed by the lucha legends themselves.

So, instead of staying slumped on the couch with the tension of cable news projected through the TV screen, Roy set out to finish the task of obtaining the final signature he needed, specifically Cien Caras. Lucier has spent the previous few years zigzagging everyone from independent shows, conventions, and even trips to Mexico to obtain the autographs. Rey Mysterio, Heavy Metal, El Hijo Del Santo, Psychosis, Mascara Sagrada, and the other living luchadors from the series all inked their name upon the rare figures modeled after them. As thrilled as he was to see the names inscribed across the AAA logo of the boxes, he was equally as happy with the chance to meet some of the icons of lucha libre. 

"Mascara Sagrada was amazing, especially since he invited me to his hotel and we spent the day together discussing his career. Rey told me, to his knowledge, mine is the only AAA Kelian he ever signed so that makes that really special to me. It's amazing to see the boys light up, especially when this American is going out of their way, and you explain to them you have this collection and you are trying to get all the figures signed. They appreciate your efforts and time, and support of lucha libre as a whole," Roy explained.

After he traveled to Mexico last March, just weeks before the pandemic shut down international travel, Lucier was unsure how or if he could find an opportunity to meet Caras for the completion of the autograph project. Until he saw a unique advertisement for a few lucha legends on social media, and it was a chance for him to complete the autograph quest.

"I saw someone on Facebook post that Cien Caras and Mascara Ano 2000 would be making a personal appearance at a taqueria restaurant in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon that would take place on Halloween. After reaching out to the promoter and asking a close friend to confirm the appearance, I booked the flight and hotel, and also contacted a friend I knew from online named Dionicio. He spoke no English, but we communicated perfectly," Lucier said.

After 11 hours of travel from Sacramento, Roy landed in Mexico City, and while some would be overwhelmed by international travel, he embraced the chance to experience authentic Mexican culture. With Dionicio as a tour guide, the two international pals used the countries expansive ride share services to explore ahead of the signing.

"Having a guide, it was really easy to get around. We visited a weekend flea market in the middle of town that made me wish I had packed a bigger suitcase, as I saw a lot of CMLL rings for sale I wish I could have picked up, especially at those prices. We did go to a torta shop that belonged to luchador Panthro that was an amazing experience" Lucier commented.

Around 8:30 PM that night, Roy and his lucha buddy eagerly joined almost a hundred other lucha fans that were in attendance to meet Cien Caras and Mascara Ano 2000 at the lucha-inspired restaurant. Before the lucha legend took photos with the crowd, he answered questions from the audience, providing a truly unquie experience for those that waited for the chance to get an autograph. Considering his long journey, it was arranged that Roy could stick around after the rest of the attendees had left to have a special meeting with the wrestling stars. The veteran luchadors greeted him with a smile and expressed their appreciation for his dedication to lucha libre. Roy's trademark is often to think of other before himself and thus he brought gifts for the grapplers, as he presented Caras with an extra figure to keep as a memento, and presented a Triplemania poster to Mascara Ano to express his gratitude for their efforts.

"Cien Caras and his brother could not have been more amazing. Both were happy to meet me. I also explained I had been front row at most of the events in Los Angeles back in the mid 90's. I got to ask where the name “Los Hermanos Dinamita” came from, Mascara Ano 2000 said Danny Ortiz said they wrestled with a lot of dynamite and the name stuck permanently, and also what their memories were of the events in Los Angeles, and Cien Caras said he remembers mostly how successful they were and how important they were to the growth and success of AAA as a company," Roy commented.

Post-signing, Roy and Dionicio ended up at a taco stand at 1 AM, but Lucier's prior travels to the country made him familiar with the cultural district. A few days later, he returned home, his quest to get a complete autograph collection of all the living lucha legends from the Kelian line was finished, quite possibly making it the only such collection in the world.

Aside from the appreciation from the diehard wrestling and action figure fans, Roy's story goes beyond that of just a stellar memorabilia room. At a time when the circumstances of the world often brought out the worst in society, Lucier embraced and expressed an appreciation for not only the Mexican culture, but also the efforts of the lucha libre legends.