What's next for Gallows and Anderson?

A few months ago, I penned an article that discussed mostly the turn over of many of the original All Elite Wrestling contracts that were signed during the launch of the company. One of the benefits of the current pro wrestling landscape, including the "retirement" of Vince McMahon, is that for the first time since the heyday of the boom period of the 90s, you can't specifically write off where a star might or might not show up because the level of at least some competition brings with it the pursuit of talent. For example, AJ Styles is a mainstay in the WWE now and has done very well there, putting together a resume for his career that will undoubtedly rank him among one of the greatest of all time. Since TNA was smaller in scope during much of its early existence, some might not realize just how revolutionary his work was during some of those TNA years. However, there was a time that nobody, even AJ's biggest advocates would've expected him to show up in a WWE ring because the style that propelled him as the top performer for TNA was more or less completely opposite of the WWE style of the early-00s, which is why it was such a shock when he finally made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble in 2016.

The launch of All Elite, and more importantly, the money that Tony Khan was willing to invest to sign talent to comparative contracts, took some of the leverage away from the WWE empire. Not that it's meant as a knock because the talent was just trying to make a living, but outside of a few rare exceptions, a former WWE talent didn't opt to go to TNA instead of re-sign a deal, but rather decided to work for Dixie Carter if the WWE wasn't a realistic option.

That's not the case in the modern era and it can't be understated how important that dynamic is to the climate of the industry.

Several talents, such as Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole,decided not to re-sign a WWE deal to explore their options with AEW

As we've seen this year, some of that momentum has tilted the other way with the return of Cody Rhodes as a major player, and speculation that other AEW stars might consider a jump after their contract expires. Truthfully, it's less about the "wrestling war" (because there isn't one) and more about the fun of not knowing what to expect from the product, especially after years of a very stagnant industry.

As you'd expect, the rumors have continued to swirl about what free agents could show up where and the domino effect it might have on either promotion. One of the tag teams recently in the news included Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, the duo that made their name in New Japan before their WWE debut in 2016. They spent a rather undistinguished four years under the WWE umbrella, but were reportedly offered $750,000 contracts before the launch of All Elite to sign new deals with WWE. Obviously, this was done more to keep them away of the competition than anything else, and as shrewd as it might've been, it was probably the right move. The negative of all of this is that about six months later, during the shutdown of the pandemic, WWE management released them due to "budget cuts" since it was tough to justify such hefty contracts when the company produced television from an empty building in Orlando.

In July of 2020, they surfaced in Impact and worked there, as well as some of the crossover appearances for AEW, during the past few years. Reportedly, their Impact deals expired and they are on the free agent market, prompting many to speculate that they might be on their way back to WWE with the Triple H regime now running the company. I'd say that it's possible, but not necessarily an automatic decision for them. Granted, they were big fish in a small pond in Impact and at a time when there were very few options for talent with so many promotions shuttered because of the pandemic, it made sense for them to take the offer on the table at the time.

That said, All Elite is too saturated with teams, a problem that will be exponentially more apparent with the addition of the unnecessary trios titles. I'm not sure if Tony Khan would be as eager to add more talent to the roster than he was in the past because the company is in a state of flux with the recent drama backstage and the attempt to become more organized with the addition of more staff behind the scenes. Perhaps, and this is just a guess, such a bloated roster adds to the unorganized aspects of the promotion because there are so many wrestlers that are looking for a direction in AEW. I could be wrong, but I'd say that realistically, a full-time AEW deal isn't going to be an option, and even if it was, I'm not sure it'd be a wise move for The Good Brothers to sign there.

It goes without saying that with the slew of returns since Triple H took over the company that a WWE return might be in the cards, but it's not an easy decision either. Sure, Triple H is the guy that runs the company, but the fact is that the WWE was the organization that offered Gallows and Anderson $750,000 contracts that suggested they would have a significant level of financial security, only to be released a few months later would make it tough for either of them to have a level of trust for a return. Unless there's a hefty guarantee involved, I'd suggest that the team consider if it's the right decision for them. On one hand, Gallows and Anderson are 38 and 42, respectively, and while they definitely still have a few prime years left of their career, at some point it's only logical to take the biggest payday possible. On the other hand, without some assurance of that payday, they wouldn't want to be stuck in a deal where they wouldn't be used properly and their value would be diminished. From strictly a WWE prospective, they could certainly use a solid team to add to the tag division, especially because the Usos/Street Profits is a completely recycled feud. How much the new regime is willing to truly invest in the tag division might be the key to where The Good Brothers go next. AJ Styles reuniting with The Good Brothers seems to be a natural fit, but how much spotlight the company is willing to put on the tag division might be the determining factor for the team.

Of course, the team could simply decide to continue to work for New Japan. Not only was the Japanese league where they made a name for themselves, it offers the most stability, particularly since most of the pandemic restrictions were lifted. If I had to guess, I'd say that the pair will opt to remain a full-time team for New Japan, even though the Bullet Club faction isn't as prominent now as it was when they gained their initial notoriety as a part of the faction. The AEW roster seems too bloated, and fences would need to be mended for a WWE return so New Japan is probably the best option.

The Eddie Kingston situation

Professional wrestling, by nature, blurs the line between entertainment and reality to draw money, or at least it used to.

Amid the controversy that CM Punk went off-script a few weeks ago in a promo to attempt to make Adam Page look weak on television, more behind-the-scenes drama was made public when it was revealed that Eddie Kingston was suspended for a few weeks after a backstage confrontation with Sammy Guevara. From what was stated by both Eddie and Sammy via statements online, Guevara cut a promo to hype the originally scheduled match with Kingston at next weekend's All Out pay-per-view and mocked Kingston's appearance. Kingston took legitimate exception to the comment and attempted to get into a physical confrontation with Sammy backstage. Kingston spent a few weeks at home and the match was scrapped.

Who's working who here?

With the nature of the comments, I think it's important to point out that obviously mocking someone in real-life usually isn't called for, and subsequently those that were tweeting to Sammy to wish death on him are deranged. That being said, this is professional wrestling and the comments were made in the ring in the context of a worked environment to spark interest for the pay-per-view. Granted, if Sammy went over the line and unintentionally got too personal then apologize behind-the-scenes. Why exactly are they letting the audience know all the tricks of the trade? Isn't the purpose of this to generate anticipation for the grudge match?

Eddie Kingston accepted responsibility and admitted he was wrong for his reaction. From strictly a real-life perspective, that was absolutely the right thing to do. Furthermore, when Guevara issued a statement, he said that had he known that Kingston didn't want those comments made then he wouldn't have said them in the promo, which is also the right stance.

But, what does any of this have to be public?

Are we really to a point in the wrestling industry that it's not politically correct to think that wrestlers might actually be made at each other? Wasn't the originally the entire premise of this business?

Don't get me wrong, Kingston did the right thing to apologize, but as soon as he and Sammy acknowledged that it was just a series of miscommunication, there's no heat or believably for any potential match in the future. If the audience knows that real-life Eddie apologized for being mad at Sammy, why should they believe the Kingston character would want revenge in a match? Along the same lines, if the audience knows that Sammy outside of the ring wouldn't have said the comments in the promo if he knew they would upset his opponent, why should any of his on-screen actions generate heat?

If there's no way to blur the line of reality then there's not an emotional investment in the angle. More specifically, at a time when fans think that everything is exposed with numerous wrestling documentaries and network specials, an angle that sprinkles in reality would stand out even more. For example, squash the heat behind the curtain to be able to draw money in the ring. I know some will say that the horse is already out of the barn in terms of believably in pro wrestling and that generally might be the case, but most of the time, that happens because more often than not, there's no an attempt to blur the line of reality. You don't have to make the audience believe that everything on a wrestling show is real, but when you can make them believe something is real, that's the key to drawing money. Did the record-setting television audience believe that Steve Austin could steal a zamboni to cause chaos in public without a swat team showing up? Probably not, but they believed in Stone Cold as a grizzled Texan that was there for a fight, which is why he's the biggest star in the history of the industry.

As much as Tony Khan wants to hug everyone and have a two-hour press conference after pay-per-views to get to sit next to his favorite wrestlers, the audience doesn't have to know everything. Please don't misunderstand me on this, as I've written before I think Eddie Kingston should get a run as world champion. He has a level of authenticity that very few in the entire sport bring to the table in the modern era, which is why the audience connects with him. However, the public statements from everyone involved dilute that authenticity, and it takes heat away from Guevara. In theory, the Kingston character would attempt to smack his opponent backstage, and the Sammy persona would say something disrespectful. Make amends behind the scenes and allow the story to evolve as part of the angle. Would the Bret Hart/Shawn Micheals rivalry have been as memorable if Bret and Shawn apologized to each other after the "Sunny days" promo on Raw? The fact that the fans knew there might be some real-life hostility between the two added to the drama of the feud.

A side note, Disco Inferno chimed in on all of this, which was probably a way to get publicity for the podcast that he does with Konnan. Yes, Disco was on television during the boom period of the 90s, but no, he made no difference to the wrestling war. Sure, Disco is trying to get a reaction from wrestling fans on social media, but if he wants that reaction then he will have to acknowledge that he honestly wasn't some "star of the 90s" that helped WCW. He was a lackey that was kept around for comedy purposes. Just being on television in the late-90s doesn't give a wrestler the credibility to comment on the business. Erik Watts and Scott Putski were TV, too but nobody is clamoring for their thoughts on Raw. Remember that great Disco Inferno match? How about that really memorable Disco promo? How about that Disco Inferno main event on pay-per-view that drew a good buy rate? Nobody else does either.

Still, the biggest problem that this story brings for All Elite Wrestling is that often in the pro wrestling industry, perception is reality and the narrative around the company is that it's chaotic behind the scenes. There might be some merit to that because there was speculation of discontent backstage and then the company announced the addition of more agents. If Tony Khan starts to react to perceived pressure from social media, it will effect the progress of AEW. Something that Tony Khan has to learn, as admirable as his efforts are to provide more options in the industry, you can't attempt to make everyone happy in a pro wrestling company. There have been disputes between promoters and talent as long as the business has existed. Unfortunately, on a national level, it's about making the right business moves, not making your friends happy. If CM Punk went off-script, maybe Tony shouldn't put too much stock in him to be the top guy in the company. If Eddie Kingston and Sammy Guevara got into a legitimate confrontation, the audience doesn't have to know that they made peace before their next match on television.

Moxley wins AEW title

The Hall of Fame announcer, Jim Ross called the Jon Moxley vs. CM Punk world title unification match possibly the biggest bout in the history of the company, and he might've been right since the pair are arguable the biggest stars on the roster. That's why it was so puzzling when it was announced that the contest would take place on Dynamite instead of next weekend's All Out pay-per-view from Punk's hometown of Chicago. Putting a definite money match that would've drawn a buy rate, something that isn't easy in the modern era, on free TV prompted questions about what was next for the championship. Would MJF return to spoil CM Punk's chance at the title to set up a grudge match at the pay-per-view? Would there be some type of non-finish to set up a gimmick match between Punk and Moxley at All Out?

Unfortunately, none of that materialized and the main event scene is completely flat a week and a half before the next pay-per-view.

Just minutes into the match, Punk "re-injured" his foot and that allowed Moxley to hit the paradigm shift to get the win. A bout that was considered potentially the biggest match in the history of the company went about three minutes and was completely one-sided. I wondered if Punk looked like he was hobbling when he made his surprise return to television a few weeks ago, and clearly, he's not 100% from the foot injury that put him out of action almost three months ago. Obviously, the reason that Punk vs. Moxley was put on free television is because Punk still isn't ready to compete from the injury. There's not a heated angle that was going to build of off the bout on Dynamite for a bigger payoff at the pay-per-view. It's not an opportunity for MJF to return or a plan for a major bout at All Out.

Instead, this whole scenario highlights the fact that Tony Khan booked himself into a corner and had to resolve the unification storyline before the pay-per-view in Punk's hometown.

Sure, Punk could've theoretically stayed on the shelf indefinitely, but how long can you really continue to throw around the interim moniker? The basis of the interim championship is the expectation of the unification match to determine and undisputed champion. At some point, you have to get that resolved for the main event scene to be able to progress forward for new challengers and fresh matches. Khan couldn't put a three-minute main event in the ring on the previously mentioned $50 pay-per-view so you had to wrap up the storyline on television before Chicago.

That said, Khan made and continues to make amateur mistakes with booking the All Elite product. Keep in mind, Punk informed everyone that he was going to be on the shelf before the extent of the injury was determined on the episode of Dynamite after Double or Nothing. Considering, Khan didn't know how long Punk was going to be on the sidelines, it would've made more sense to have him officially vacate the title and then there's no continuous expectation for the unification match. In short, it gives everyone involved in the angle more flexibility because the term interim isn't a constant on television to reinforce the fact that the actual champion is still on the injured list. Hypothetically speaking, Punk could've taken a year away and there wouldn't have been any pressure for his return because the storylines of the main event wouldn't be linked to his championship status.

If there still wasn't a clear time table for CM Punk to be back to a full-schedule then there wasn't much choice except to book a short match to unify the belts, but that doesn't make it any less of a disappointment because the audience expected a major bout. It was underwhelming and flat. It made CM Punk look weak because he more or less got squashed in a title match, and Moxley is the champion without an opponent for the pay-per-view.

If I had to guess, I'd say that Tony Khan foolishly assumed that unification matches intrinsically boost the importance of a bout, which is why he booked the Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara when Cody missed just two weeks of television because he wanted to recreate the Shawn Micheals/Razor Ramon scenario. Along the same lines, Khan booked another interim title without knowing the extent of Punk's injury and the way that the situation unfolded ultimately led to a lackluster conclusion for an anticipated match.

There's a reason that stipulations and gimmick matches shouldn't be randomly thrown on television on a weekly basis, and it's an example of Khan's lack of focus toward the bigger picture.

The novelty of All Elite Wrestling as the new commodity of the industry has worn off and the substance of the organization is what will determine how successful it will be, as well as how long the company can maintain the success. Unless the promotion can start to make strides to continue to expand its audience and fully maximize its talent, the group might became stagnant, which is essentially what happened to TNA after a certain point during its existence. I think it's fair to say that Khan's booking hasn't done the most with the talent that the free agent market allowed him to sign to contracts. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Adam Cole have all been a part of AEW for a year, but the ratings of the Dynamite are basically the same as they were before they arrived. That says a lot more about how the talented were booked than the wrestlers themselves.

The undisputed world champion, Jon Moxley doesn't have an opponent for next weekend's pay-per-view, and even if a match is announced for All Out next week, how can it be built as important just a few days before the event?

If you look at the All Out card on paper, there's nothing necessarily wrong with it, but nothing jumps off the page as "must see" either. Is the Trios title tournament final really going to be a major selling point for a $50 broadcast? I already wrote a column about why I think the trios champions are completely unnecessary so I won't repeat the same discussion, but it's worth mentioning that the almost comical amount of championships is another example of Tony Khan's amateur booking philosophy. Similar to the way that he throws gimmick matches on television to artificially boost feuds, championships are overused in an attempt to add importance to the product. Neither of those concepts are a substitute for meaningful angles that are well built toward a payoff on a major stage, which is why the MJF/CM Punk feud was so well done earlier this year.

The gimmick matches are a one-week solution and eventually those booking concepts yield diminishing returns. Ultimately, the substance of the booking is what counts, and that's why Tony Khan doesn't have many main event options for All Out. The trios title doesn't have a long-term angle behind it and we've seen that inaugural championships don't mean all that much either. Has Pac really done anything with the All-Atlantic title? Speaking of championships, how prestigious are the ROH TV or Pure titles right now?

The biggest takeaway here is that Tony Khan has the star power and the in-ring talent on the roster, but hasn't been able to truly yield results with it. Again, the ratings for Dynamite are roughly the same now as there were before Punk, Danielson, and Adam Cole arrived. The product seems to promote "dream matches" instead of money matches. Aussie Open is a very talented team, but TBS is national television and they were booked for a main event segment when they vast majority of the viewing audience has no idea who they are. Profitability, not star ratings or booker of the year awards, is what counts on the national level. Tony Khan can have a vanity project or he can have a long-term commodity in the pro wrestling business. Hopefully, after All Out there can be a shift that spotlights the star power of the established names and angles that actually build toward a payoff to help make the younger talent bigger stars for the company.

Johnny Gargano returns

We've seen a change of pace in the action on Raw in recent weeks, including the brawl that opened the show on last night's episode where Seth Rollins and Riddle fought through the crowd. It seems like there's a specific effort among the current regime to break the patterns that were the subject of criticism in the past. Ultimately, much of the WWE landscape hasn't rebounded from the slump of the pandemic era. Viewership under two million watching at home, unthinkable in a previous generation, became the standard number that is expected from the Monday night show. To put it in perspective, during the dying days of WCW, albeit during the latter stages of a boom period in the business, Turner broadcasts often generated a 2.6 number, significantly ahead of Raw's 1.9 in recent weeks.

Obviously, context matters as it's a different time and place in both the sport and the distribution of media. Still, it makes you wonder, is this the new ceiling for sports entertainment? Say what you want about the money generated through rights fees, and at the end of the day, some of the criticism is moot since profitability is what matters, but the bottom line is, less people are watching wrestling now than any time before in history.

In many ways, it's an odd dichotomy because the WWE is publicly-traded on the stock market and will tout record-setting profits because of the massive TV deals, but less fans are watching the product at the same time. It's important to note that the climate of the television business, not the popularity of WWE programming is what allowed the company to cash-in on such major TV contracts. Networks were, and still on in some cases, willing to shell out big cash to get live sports programming to attempt to create a DVR-proof scenario to be able to maximize ad revenue.

Within the next few years, WWE management will have to attempt to negotiate new deals for the future, and the further the promotion gets away from the pandemic era, the more difficult it will be to land contracts on the level of those signed in 2019. Sure, it's understandable why some viewers initially tuned out when the show was filmed in an empty building since the organization was in uncharted waters with the lack of a live crowd. It's reasonable that it took some time for the concept of the thunder dome to be used to add some atmosphere to the show. That said, while the pandemic technically continues, there are full crowds for the majority of WWE TV broadcasts, including a sell out at last night's Toronto event.

But, the ratings continue to be sluggish, so what's missing from the WWE product?

As far as breaking the previous patterns, the ability to bring something organic, similar to the impromptu brawl that started the show, to the product might be the biggest challenge for the new regime. For several years, the program was predictable and often lacked progress. You could skip a month of Raw and not actually miss any of the key points of an angle. You knew if an angle didn't involve Brock Lesnar when he showed up once every few months, a struggling baby face Roman Reigns, or Ronda Rousey, it didn't truly make a difference to the product. Furthermore, guys like Bray Wyatt, Samoa Joe, and even Braun Strowman didn't get a chance to get to the next level when they were the most over with the audience at different times. Roman doing the best work of his career as a dominate heel is part of the foundation of the product, but we're talking about the future, and more specifically, what the Triple H regime can book to attempt to rejuvenate the product.

As we saw, Johnny Gargano, former NXT standout, made his return to the company after he opted not to re-sign with the company when his contract expired several months ago. Since that time, there was speculation that he might follow some of the other former NXT stars and ink a contract with AEW. However, we've seen many of the new recruits get lost in the shuffle so it was probably wise for him to wait to see where everything settled. Anybody know where Bobby Fish or Kyle O'Reilly have been in recent weeks?

That being said, I'm not sure that Gargano's return to the company is a major deal in the grand scheme of things. Don't get me wrong, he's a solid technical wrestler, but I don't see the hype about him or what he brings to the table that others on the roster don't already for the company. In many ways, he's a generic independent wrestler that looks like the friendly cashier at a local comic book shop than a major star. Sure, the return pop is easy, which is what the majority of the Triple H tenure has been so far, and that's fine to a certain extent, but the follow-up is what makes the difference. If these returns are used for meaningful angles are what can bring progress to the show that can give viewers a reason to tune in on a weekly basis.

The promo that Gargano did was very well done, and if that is the basis for a narrative that will see him climb the ranks in WWE to obtain the championships mentioned and a bigger spot then it might give the audience something to be invested in toward the culmination of an angle. But, for so long, the WWE playbooks was so strictly formatted that it often lacked any genuine moments or emotion. Someone reciting lines that someone else wrote for them doesn't allow for an organic delivery. As much criticism is All Elite rightfully gets for some of its scattered booking, there's definitely a level of authenticity to it's performers. Does anyone on the WWE roster have the authenticity of Eddie Kingston? Does anyone have the baby face fire of Jungle Boy? The talent is there, but too often the WWE presentation had the shows overproduced to the point that you rarely saw that level of believablility because Kevin Dunn was too busy with camera cuts to let the moment develop during the program. Cody Rhodes return promo early this year is a great example of how a genuine delivery can connect with the audience. Bianca Belair's emotional post-match promo at the Royal Rumble a few years ago is another great example.

So, the returns offer an artificial boost, but as mentioned if that can be developed into meaningful angles will be the determining factor of if the Triple H regime can rejuvenate the product. It's not about attempting to make Raw or Smackdown into an NXT show with more spots, the difference will be if there can be a shift toward a more organic presentation for the company.

Will MJF return?

Aside from the controversy of the CM Punk promo, specifically the rumors that he went off-script when he mentioned Adam Page in an attempt to make the former All Elite Wrestling champion look weak on television, there's much discussion this week about the decision to put the CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley match, a bout that Jim Ross called possibly the biggest match in the history of the company, on free TV next week on Dynamite.

The chatter online wonders if the unification contest is on Dynamite, what will be the main event of the All Out pay-per-view just two weeks later?

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that MJF, the young star that supposedly threatened to walk out of Double or Nothing a few months ago because he was upset with his current contract, could be on his way back to the company. First, if this was in fact some elaborate work, including when MJF used profanity in an obviously scripted moment on TBS, the payoff wasn't anywhere near worth it. The entire story, which was bizarre to start with, took much of the focus of that weekend's pay-per-view match off of Wardlow, who didn't necessarily get propelled after he power bombed MJF. Sure, Wardlow has done well since that time, winning the TNT championship, but he didn't get the spring board from the victory over MJF you'd expect when you take into account that there was a two-year build up for it.

This past March, MJF and CM Punk had a dog collar match that was a master piece. Forget about how many stars one of the spot fest got on a pay-per-view, the dog collar match was built on emotion and drama. Some are speculating that MJF's return could be booked around the unification match as a way to play spoiler to CM Punk's title reign, setting up a grudge match at All Out in Chicago.

First, I have to say that while Friedman has the talent to be a top guy and a major star, I think that because too much is usually shoehorned onto most of the AEW programs, the narrative around him is almost out of sight, out of mind. This is why I don't think the whole Double or Nothing debacle was effective if it was designed to be a work, because MJF's  momentum has decreased significantly since he disappeared from television. It's tough for fans to stay invested in his future after more than a few weeks when the general consensus was that he would have to sit on the sidelines for almost two years before he has any realistic options outside of AEW.

Again, don't get me wrong, MJF is a star, but I'm not sure he has the level of star power right now to keep fans clamoring for a return after there hasn't been any mention or news about him in the past few months. If a guy is willing to just sit at home, eventually the audience shifts the focus to the wrestlers that are there. Granted, a major angle could spark things for Friedman, but that remains to be seen. Plus, I'm not sure Punk/MJF with two weeks of build would be enough to be considered a big time pay-per-view match. In fact, unless Tony Khan has something major up his sleeve, I'm not sure any title match with just two weeks of a build up is going to be considered a PPV worthy main event. Remember, as I've said many times, it's exponentially more difficult to sell $50 pay-per-views in the modern era because of how much free content is available on Peacock and on standard television. That becomes underscored when you take into account how many gimmick matches Khan books for TV that would probably be better suited for pay-per-view. Right now, what's the biggest selling point for All Out? The completely unnecessary trios titles?

With All Out booked for Chicago, it only makes business sense for CM Punk, the hometown guy, to be scheduled for either a world title match or at the very least a major grudge match. Again, I'm not sure either of those can be accomplished within the two weeks between the unification bout and the pay-per-view. Sure, Tony could book a non-finish for Punk vs. Moxley to have the rematch at All Out, but once the match is in the ring on free TV, it won't be the same draw for PPV.

As I said in a column earlier this week, the promo between Punk and Moxley was very revealing, with Punk potentially showing his hand to the audience. If Punk comes off as too arrogant or condescending towards Moxley, it's possible the fans could reject him, especially because statements like that go along with rumors that CM Punk is really always about CM Punk, not the prosperity of pro wrestling that he claimed in the past. The entire promo might've been cleared ahead of time, but perception is often reality in the wrestling business, and if Punk sounds like a snob, his rally speeches on television might garner a hostile reaction.

Just for the sake of discussion, let's assume that MJF will play a role in the unification match and thus some major match at All Out. If the initial disagreement that caused him to no-show the autograph signing the day before Double or Nothing was legitimate, how exactly could Tony Khan reasonable invest in him as a major player for AEW again? Doing so would risk a similar situation where if MJF gets dissatisfied he could threaten to walk out again, which could leave the company in a potentially bigger predicament the next time than they were in prior to the Wardlow bout. That's why walking out is such a terrible decision, because it lets the promoter know that a talent could always decide not to do business since there's a track record for it. Obviously, there have been numerous disagreements about finishes throughout the history of the industry, but one way or another the match usually got in the ring because there was still money to be made for everyone involved.

Can Tony Khan really trust that MJF would be willing to do business again?

That's why even if MJF is the wild card here and is the reason that the unification match is on free TV, it's not automatically a smart business move to immediately book him for a prominent spot, just to get him back in the ring again. The signed contract that MJF already has and doesn't expire until 2024 is the agreement that should get him in the ring. In some ways, Tony Khan booked himself into a corner and while it will be intriguing to see how this unfolds on television, I don't think even an MJF return will necessarily sell the pay-per-view.

CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley

CM Punk propelled himself in popularity in 2011 when he dropped the pipe bomb promo and was dubbed a man of the people, later calling himself, "the voice of the voiceless" as he raged against the corporate machine of the McMahon empire. That's an easy narrative for the crowd to get behind. As we know, WWE management completely fumbled a major chance when mainstream media outlets picked up on the famous CM Punk promo because the corporate agenda, not what got over with the audience, dictated the decision-making process. "The Summer of Punk" was memorable, but very brief, as he lost the WWE championship a month after he won the title at the almost legendary MITB bout in Chicago. He dropped the belt via Alberto Del Rio's cash-in at Summer Slam, and of course, the following month, Triple H had to pin Punk just to make sure that any momentum he had was halted.

There's absolutely no doubt that CM Punk could've been a major mainstream star for the WWE and they made sure it didn't happen because Punk had a reputation of difficult to work with behind-the-scenes. Keep in mind, in 2011, the WWE completely dominated the market share of the industry so that made it possible for politics to decide the direction of the product instead of the right business move. Punk challenged the notion that the WWE formula was always the right decision so the office made sure he was kept at a level underneath the top tier.

That descension led to a 7-year hiatus from the industry, including a lackluster, but lucrative stint in the UFC, where he lost two fights, but was paid a total of $1 million for his time in the octagon.

When the subject of All Elite Wrestling was brought up to Punk, he was initially unhappy that he was approached via text message instead of a formal introduction. That's somewhat of a prima-donna move, but at the same time, Punk hesitation when AEW launched was understandable. If Punk would've debuted as one of the faces of the company in 2019 and then the promotion didn't get off the ground, he would be associated with the failure. It was the smart move to make sure that All Elite had a future, especially when you take into account how many upstart projects fizzled out in the time since WCW folded.

When Punk made his debut in his hometown of Chicago last year, he had a heroes welcome, and all things considered, he must be happy with his tenure in the company. He's paid and treated like a top guy, and he reclaimed the position as a flag bearer for the prosperity of pro wrestling. But is that really the case?

The opening promo between interim champion Jon Moxley and Punk featured an intense exchange on the mic, where Moxley proclaimed to be the heart and soul of AEW before Punk interrupted with the line that he will be the dollars and cents. That was a very revealing line and it creates questions about what's in the future for Punk in All Elite. There was chatter for years that CM Punk is less about putting a spotlight on pro wrestling and more about putting the spotlight on himself, which was essentially the basis for the Eddie Kingston feud. Granted, the pro wrestling business is about making the most money possible, but much of the reason the audience was behind Punk was based on the guise that he wanted to contribute to the art of the sport. After his stellar dog collar match with MJF in March, he tearfully mentioned that Bret Hart was right, and that the Saudi money that part-timers collect now is cash that Bret deserved for everything he gave to the business.

On the flip side, it's possible that CM Punk has an ego to the point where he will consider it an injustice if he isn't the focus of the company. Was Punk standing up for what the fans wanted in 2011 or was he posturing to get a better position for himself? Both are possible, but make no mistake about it, CM Punk puts CM Punk first, and there's nothing necessarily wrong with that in the wrestling business, except for that fact that the notion that Punk "does it all for the business" is a major reason for the fan reaction.

By comparison, Dax Harwood is a guy that's undeniably genuine when he tells the audience how much he loves pro wrestling. Obviously, Dax has to pay the bills, but you get the impression that money isn't the biggest reason that he pursued pro wrestling. You don't get that same impression from CM Punk promos, at least not in the past several years. Don't get me wrong, CM Punk is an absolutely tremendous performer and the dog collar match against MJF was a masterpiece, but don't be fooled, CM Punk signed with All Elite because he could walk in the door as one of the highest paid talents in the company, not because of a passion for the industry.

The dollars and cents that Punk referred to in the promo on Dynamite are the dollars and cents that he gets paid by Tony Khan. On the other hand, Moxley had a level of authenticity, especially in this promo, that you didn't hear from Punk. Sure, Moxley is getting paid big cash, too and wouldn't be willing to beat up his body for a ham sandwich and a Diet Coke, but money doesn't seem to be his biggest motivating factor either. Remember, he chose not to re-sign with WWE, leaving major money on the table. Moxley is also the current GCW champion, and he's not taking the booking in the dingy venue in Atlantic City because he needs the payoff to cover the mortgage. He's a throwback to the grapplers of a previous era. He's working an indy show a few days before he's on national television because he wants to be a pro wrestler.

If I had to guess, if CM Punk had gotten everything he wanted in the WWE he would've stayed there and enjoyed the fame that goes along with it. Again, this is just a guess, but Moxley might be happier getting to have the freedom to wrestle on the indies than he was in the strict corporate structure of the WWE. Moxley just doesn't seem like the type of guy that wants to work for a corporation that has a stock price. CM Punk would've put on the corporate smile for more stardom and more money.

However, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to knock Punk, the guy is probably the biggest star on the roster and he's undoubtedly still a major draw, but he might've revealed his hand with the off-the-cuff remark about dollars and cents when Moxley mentioned being the heart and soul of the company. If the audience sees Punk as gloating about glory, it's possible they could reject him, considering that when Cody took the self-promotion too far, he garnered a hostile reaction.

I have no idea why CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley is being put on Dynamite next week instead of the All Out pay-per-view at the beginning of September, and the only logically possibility is that there must be another piece of the puzzle that will be put in place next week, but even if the bout does end up being booked for the pay-per-view, putting the match on free TV first takes away some of the luster from the unification match. That said, based on the promo, I don't think it's automatic that Punk wins the championship match. How healthy Punk is could also be a determining factor, and it's possible the title bout was moved up so there the crowd in Chicago isn't disappointed if Punk wasn't booked to be the unified champion. Ironically, while Punk had a big run as "the voice of the voiceless" it was Jon Moxley that sounded like the blue collar champion, which is why he might be the better choice to win the championship.

VHS Memoirs Volume 28

Today marks 25 years since Hardcore Heaven 1997, ECW's second pay-per-view that took place at the War Memorial in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The show is notable for a few different things, as far as what it said about the company and what it represented about the status of the group at the time. It's interesting to note that despite being based in Philadelphia, ECW had a stronghold in the sunshine state because the Sunshine Network aired Hardcore TV almost from the show's inception.

On the surface, it makes sense that ECW held a pay-per-view in Florida, based on its previously success there of drawing in the same venue. The other side of the coin was that for whatever reason, the actual building was not equipped for pay-per-view in any form or fashion. The lighting is so bad during the broadcast that it makes for a less than impressive viewing experience. In truth, from strictly a visual presentation, this looks like a house show instead of a pay-per-view.

The broadcast opened with a Rick Rude segment in the ring with Todd Gordon and this is compelling because it was at a time when Rude eventually appeared for all three national promotions in the span of just a few months,something that just wouldn't happen now with the standard no-compete clauses in most contracts. That's one of the reasons the 90s were such a fun time for the industry, it was somewhat of the wild west in terms of who would show up where on any given week. Rick Rude, who was aligned with The Triple Threat stable until he revealed Bam Bam Bigelow as a title challenger for Shane Douglas a few months later to eventually set up for the next pay-per-view main event, introduced Chris Candido during a segment with Tod Gordon. Candido made his way to the ring and it was announced that he was the opponent for the ECW TV champion, Taz. This was a really solid opener, and Candido made Taz look great with the way he sold the various suplex spots. While this was a quality opener, these two would have a better PPV match a few years later. If I had to guess, I would say this was booked because it was an easy way to get a decent match to start the show. That being said, this was rather one-sided and almost a squash match that wouldn't usually be on pay-per-view.

Speaking of squashes, there was no doubt that the previously mentioned Bam Bam was there to get over strong ahead of the world title angle shortly afterwards, and he destroyed Spike in just a few minutes. The premise was based on the upset win Spike got a week earlier at the Born to be Wired event at the ECW arena. Spike got a flash pin and then Bigelow quite literally threw him into the third row. I told you the 90s were the wild west. Basically, this rematch was booked as an excuse for Bam Bam to be able to throw Spike into the audience on live pay-per-view and that's exactly what happened. Spike sailed into the second row, but wasn't caught nearly as directly by the audience as the prior week and looked to land rough in the seats. I'm not sure if Spike bladed or if he clipped his head on a chair from the toss, but he was bleeding to the point that the actual medical staff attended to him right after the pin fall at the conclusion of the match.

Rob Van Dam, who just began to really establish himself as a featured star in the company, had a match against Al Snow, who was on loan from the WWF. This contest had its moment with the RVD signature high spots, but for whatever reason, things just didn't gel in this bout. It was clunky and dragged at some points during the 15-minute match. Perhaps, it was because this was before Al Snow introduced the Head gimmick and propelled his career, but again this match just had no steam behind it. Rob Van Dam got the win, but similar to the look of the show, so far the line-up resembled a house show.

Later on the card, Jerry "The King" Lawler had a match against Tommy Dreamer, and I'm assuming that's how the USWA tag team, PG-13 got a place on the event. It was rather odd because Wolfie D and Jamie Dundee were very much a regional act that only had a cup of coffee as a part of the Nation of Domination on WWF TV so they weren't really a team that even many of the ECW crowd knew, which was apparent by the lack of any crowd reaction during this segment. I have to say, I think it was unwise to put a mostly unknown team against The Dudleys on the card because there wasn't much of a reason to be invested in the results. It was just a basic tag match with a rather bland response, and again there wasn't really anything about this that would make it PPV quality. Jenna Jameson was there and nothing of note happened other than she stood around the ring so take that for what its worth.

The previously mentioned Jerry Lawler vs. Tommy Dreamer contest was a very entertaining brawl and it proved that even in the 90s, the classic narrative still worked. Lawler was the ultimate heel to the ECW audience, and Dreamer was cast as the heart of the promotion so this was one of the few matches on the card that the audience was actually invested in the bout. The action itself was basic, but fun. Dreamer pummeled The King with beer, hamburgers, and just about anything that the crowd was willing to give him as they fought into the audience. The conclusion was the trademark overbooked ECW finish with several lights out spots when Rude re-appeared to assist Lawler then Jake "The Snake" Roberts was there for no particular reason, and Sunny also showed up to spray Dreamer in the eyes with hair spray. Finally, Beulah gave The King a swift kick in the Mahoneys, allowing Dreamer to hit a DDT for the win. The crowd went crazy and Joey Styles went bananas for one of the only segments on the show that had a major atmosphere to it.

Prior to the main event, the broadcast cut to the "Extreme Chopper" with a report about where The Sandman was after he commandeered an ambulance since he was attacked by RVD and Sabu earlier in the night. The tag team also attacked the Insane Clown Posse for an angle that didn't have a follow-up, and ICP reportedly no-showed when they were scheduled for an ECW pay-per-view a few years later. The whole Extreme Chopper stuff throughout the night was just bizarre. The company could afford helicopter segments, but not decent lighting for the show? There was really no point or purpose to any of it other than it wasted PPV time. This also showed the lack of live production experience the company had, as there were random shots of the ring and an unprepared Styles during the helicopter segment.

I get that the main event was supposed to be based on "the night the line was crossed" three years earlier, which makes sense, but the timing was completely wrong for this rematch. Barely Legal just had a three way dance a few months earlier and this just seemed repetitive rather than an innovative concept. The bout itself was fine with some wild action between the three competitors, but it wasn't anything spectacular. Plus, the contest went 25 minutes and dragged at certain points, particularly when Funk kicked out of several belly-to-belly suplexes from Shane Douglas. Sabu had his moments in this match, but somewhat seemed like an afterthought by the conclusion, which makes the decision to have him win the belt the week earlier even more puzzling. Francine got involved, which prompted Dory Funk Jr. to do a run-in and he landed some upper cuts to Douglas. Eventually, Douglas landed another suplex and pinned Funk to claim the title. The locker room watched at ringside and a giant brawl ensued before New Jack did a run-in for his classic spot.

The show went off the air with the baby faces posing in the ring, but the quality of the show was more or less subpar. Two squash matches, the RVD/Snow bout that didn't get into second gear, a flat tag match, and the weird Sandman segments tainted too much of the show for the fun Dreamer/Lawler brawl or the decent main event to save the show. Overall, this pay-per-view was a stark reminder that even at its peak that ECW was on shaky ground, and the argument could be made that they still weren't ready for PPV in 1997 with the poor production of the broadcast. As memorable as the Funk title win was at Barely Legal, this show was more or less the conclusion of that storyline. Injuries detailed much of Douglas' title reign in 1998 so it would've been interesting to see what Sabu could've done as champion for ECW at this time. Basically, Hardcore Heaven was a prime example of why ECW couldn't keep pace with the other major companies of the era, which is ultimately why it shut down a few years later.

McIntyre vs. Reigns

We knew that there would be a change in philosophy when Triple H took over as head of creative when Vince McMahon "retired" from WWE, and while some fans will jump on the Triple H band wagon because they think it makes them "better fans" (WWE is still getting their money and Vince is still the biggest stockholder) a specific segment from last night's Raw became a topic of discussion on social media.

Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens had an intense exchange, where the words "pro wrestlers" and "wrestling" were used, something that was almost unthinkable when Vince had the headset backstage. It wasn't the actual verbiage, but rather the organic nature of the delivery that created the entertaining segment. Sure, Drew and Owens probably had most of what they said scripted, but it wasn't phrased to sound like a manufactured WWE sales pitch. Drew wasn't trying to shine the term "WWE Universe" so that the sponsors might be less apprehensive to buy commercial time, he was selling a big time match at a Stadium show at Clash At The Castle in two weeks.

While I understand why Vince McMahon wanted to package and market his product as sports entertainment, the level of convoluted language that was used for the past several years has taken away from the presentation of the product. In my view, the sports entertainment aspects were Mr. T being used as a part of the main event of Wrestlemania or Steve Austin driving a beer truck to the ring. Sports entertainment, in its most basic form, is simply more of an emphasis on show business instead of the purist aspects of the sport. "WWE universe" and "local medical facility" sound too blatant to be considered authentic or organic. We all know that pro wrestling, sometimes for good reason, will have a stigma attached to it, but that's still what WWE is selling, regardless of how its package. All things considered, Vince McMahon and the corporate machine have been very successful with the marketing of the genre to the general public. That being said, the blatant marketing spin can hinder the effectiveness of certain segments. nobody has ever said, "we have tickets to the sports entertainment matches tonight!" or "Did you see Steve Austin push Mike Tyson on that sports entertainment show?"

At it's core, it's still pro wrestling and the building blocks of what make it successful, whether its promoted as sports entertainment or not, are still the same since it's based on psychology.

That's why the promo from Raw, particularly Drew McIntyre's delivery, creates some intrigue ahead of the Clash at The Castle pay-per-view in Cardiff. It should be noted that the expanded technology of the WWE Network and the ability to have an on-demand option for programming is what makes this special event possible. As some might know, because of the time difference, it wasn't realistically feasible to have live pay-per-views in the UK because of the time difference, which is why the vast majority of WWE PPVs were shown of free TV there for years since the broadcast didn't start until 1 AM in the UK. That's also why there were exclusive pay-per-views held in the country in the early-2000s as a way to generate a UK buy rate. When The Bristish Bulldog beat Bret Hart for the IC title at Wembley Stadium, it was before the internet existed so there wasn't a risk of the results being known and it could damage the buy rate.

Still, logistically, the travel involved in going overseas makes WWE live events rare, and that's why there's usually a strong demand for tickets. From what I've read, Clash at The Castle is selling tickets so far, and that creates somewhat of a predicament for management. Drew McIntyre is booked in the main event, mostly because the event is being held on his home turf and it would undoubtedly be quite a moment if he won the championship with a stadium full of enthusiastic fans, the scene that he would've had at Wrestlemania a few years ago if the pandemic didn't shutter the entire world. Truthfully, Drew never got the chance he deserved, he was the champion of a show held in an empty building during a time when the company was trying to figure out how to produce live television from a venue without fans. You can't necessarily blame the company either because there was rightful an adjustment process before they found somewhat of a solution with the thunder dome concept. The fumble was the way he was booked after he dropped the championship, a feud with Jinder Mahal that had zero heat behind it and then the mid-card comedy feud against Baron Corbin.

Drew never got his proper coronation, despite the fact that he carried the company on his back during an unprecedented time of uncertainty for the industry so does Drew get his moment at Clash at the Castle in front of his hometown crowd?

For the moment and for the crowd, it makes sense for Drew to finally get the stadium pose with the championship. However, the bigger picture with a bigger payoff is further down the road. Don't get me wrong, Drew is great and deserved better when he won the title, but that was over two years ago and his momentum was reduced considerably since that victory. When Roman Reigns finally drops the belt after such an extended and dominate reign, there must be an angle that fits the event. Cody Rhodes finally winning the championship in honor of his late dad, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes is the story worthy of the title switch. That's not a knock on Drew, but rather how the dynamics of the company progressed since Wrestlemania 36. The story writes itself and the video packages of Cody Rhodes' comeback from injury just add to the drama of the match where he challenges Roman Reigns for the WWE championship.

The intrigue though is management somewhat booked themselves into a corner since the setting would be perfect for Drew to win the title in the UK, which will be a historic show with it being the first live pay-per-view there in thirty years, and it would definitely be a disappointment for those in attendance if McIntyre doesn't get the celebration. The promo on Monday proved that Drew can still be a top guy so it will be interesting to see what decision is made for the UK pay-per-view.

What's the status of Rampage?

There was much speculation about the status of the All Elite Wrestling office after a myriad of staff appointments were made and announced publicly via a press release. Some of the changes include Pat Buck and Sonjay Dutt being given the role of agents backstage, Christopher Daniels continuing his role with talent behind the scenes, and Madison Rayne as a coach in the women's division. These announcements on their own aren't earth-shattering or even all that newsworthy. By nature, All Elite has a relatively young roster, which it should because the company quite literally has to build for the future, and agents there to help keep the shows as seamless and concise as possible should've been a part of the plan since the launch of the company. The whole "give the roster creative freedom" trope is a positive, but only to a certain point. The program doesn't need three matches with Canadian Destroyers and at least four apron bumps for each episode.

That makes you wonder, will the direction of the product be more focus and streamlined going forward?

There wasn't a more perfect example of the lack of proper direction than last Friday's edition of Rampage, with talent that probably shouldn't be on the Youtube shows with a spot on national television. It must be mentioned that outside of a random championship bout on occasion, Rampage is a completely secondary show that isn't truly important in the grand scheme of things. I understand that Turner officials wanted to give the company a third hour because Dynamite brings in a consistent number, but prehaps declining that in the interest of quality over quantity would've been a better move. It's very rare that anything of major importance to the direction of the company has happened on the Friday night show since its debut last year, and other than announcements for upcoming matches, angles from Rampage don't often lead to specific segments on Dynamite. Granted, if Tony Khan wants Rampage to be the second-tier television show, that's fine, but that's also telling the audience that the episodes aren't "must-see" TV. The biggest indication of that is that a viewer could completely skip Rampage and not miss anything important to the product that they watch on Dynamite.

The reason I say this and why it's worth the discussion is that national television exposure is a valuable commodity and a secondary program that doesn't have a certain level of quality can dilute the overall effectiveness of the AEW product to continue to build an audience.

Parker Boudreaux, a guy that had a cup of coffee in NXT, won a match against Sonny Kiss. We've see way too often that Tony Khan will bring in almost anybody that had a WWE deal at some point with the claim from the diehard AEW fans that he's "giving talent a chance," which has the good will for pro wrestling message to it, but again this is national television, not a try out on Youtube. Boudreaux's brief stint in NXT didn't give him a chance to show much, but he's basically the generic Performance Center recruit that goes through the WWE assembly line to see if the coaches there can find a diamond in the rough. I'm sure he's a nice guy and as far as someone being able to land a national contract, mazel tov, but outside of that, is there really any reason that Parker Boudreaux had to be added to the AEW roster? Unless a few dozen people under contract decide to go to barber college instead of working as wrestler, Tony Khan isn't short on talent for his organization.

Erik Redbeard, the former Rowan, made a cameo to team with Danhausen for a match against the Gunn Club, which is completely fine. AEW's more flexible working agreements that made it possible for guest spots like this give the company something unique to promote that you usually won't see in WWE. Rowan's guest appearance was a cool segment that adds some variety without the hurdle of putting someone under contract that the office might not have a plan for in the future.

Ariya Daivari  lost to Orange Cassidy in the main event segment before Sonny Kiss turned heel to join his faction. Daivari is a talented in-ring athlete, but there are a lot of talented athletes in the modern era so the aerial style doesn't standout now nearly as much as it did in years prior. It's not his fault, but Ariya Daivari spent about five years of his career in the witness protection program of 205 Live. With a roster as bloated as it is already, you have to consider a few things to determine if Ariya Daivari should have an All Elite contract, let alone have on faction on national television. Does he truly bring anything to the table that someone else already doesn't in AEW? Furthermore, he doesn't have the star power to be considered a major asset so again, what does he honestly bring to that table? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he doesn't have a place in the sport, this has more to do with the AEW management style than Daivari specifically. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Daivari flourished somewhere else, but what's his role in AEW? The only upside of the segment was the Sonny Kiss heel turn. Sonny is a true performer and if this heel turn will spotlight those skill then prehaps this angle will be useful.

Still, the whole thing seems thrown together without much substance. Fans of the north east independent scene from 2001 might remember Slim J, but the national television audience has no idea who this guy is other than he looks like he could've been an extra in 8 Mile. Listen, it's great that someone gets a break, but is randomly showing up on national TV the best introduction when a performer is literally known for their indy work during the Bush administration?

Some might disagree, but I find that way too often angles are rushed toward gimmicks matches just for the ability to book a gimmick match on television. In fact, there's often at least one stipulation bout on the card each week. As far as angles being rushed, the Darby Allin/Brody King feud was a prime example, it seems like it just started a few weeks ago and then there was suddenly the coffin match last week on Dynamite. If Tony Khan wants to make the coffin match the signature Darby contest, there's a concept there that could be very effective, but instead, it's often randomly announced for television, making it just another gimmick match on a show that already has too many gimmick matches. Remember any of the particulars of the Darby/Andrade coffin match? If not, there's the point of how a stipulation that could be used for a draw can get lost in the shuffle.

However, the bigger point to all of this is that the number, while consistent are also stagnant. Dynamite usually hovers around a million viewers each week and then Rampage garners about half of that. I'd guess the reason is that the overall booking direction, much like the gimmick matches themselves are usually just one off segments instead of something that builds on a regular basis. Why should the audience get too invested in the storyline with the ladder match when there's a coffin match booked for another feud the following week? Granted, the realistic expectations for the numbers pro wrestling can draw on television in the modern era depends on who you ask, especially when Raw only generates about two million viewers, but the point is, the goal of national television is to draw the biggest audience possible for the company.

Kross returns to WWE

Last week on Smackdown, we saw the return of Karrion Kross with Scarlet by his side, another comeback associated with the Triple H regime, and another return took place on last night's Raw with the cameo from Dexter Lumis, one of the dozens of performers released during the pandemic era due to "budget cuts."

Interestingly, the returns of Kross and Lumis come around the same time of the news that John Laurinaitis, the former Head of Talent Relations, was quietly fired after he was originally placed on administrative leave for his involvement in the sexual misconduct scandal that created shock waves around the company. With the exit of Johnny Ace, it's very clear that the McMahon team and thus his influence is being phased out of the organization. That's not a major revelation either, as every change of a booker usually brings with it a new crew, something that happened often in the territory era off the business. A side note, I'd expect Bruce Prichard to be political enough to keep his spot, but Kevin Dunn has to be nervous in the production truck.

As far as Kross and Lumis, it's important to keep in mind that the "debut pop" is easy, the crowd and social media will have a reaction for a return, but the key to all of it is how these talents fit into the bigger picture of Raw and if there's a meaningful plan for them going forward on each brand. For example, one of the rightful criticisms of All Elite Wrestling is that Tony Khan gives out contracts the way that Oprah gives away cars. You see a focus on a new talent for two or three weeks and then that performer gets lost in the shuffle with a dozen other names on a Youtube show that most people don't watch. Along the same lines, Triple H must have a plan for these returning stars, which we saw with the Bayley faction involved in the Women's Tag Team title tournament, for these comebacks to be anything more than an artificial pop for a week.

As far as Kross, opinions vary on him and how much he brings to the table, but all things considered, we haven't seen a full-fledged push for him on this stage before so you can't really judge until the results of this current run are factored into the equation. Kross made a name for himself working in Mexico and had a stint in Impact, and while he had a level of intensity because Impact was such a small pond, he didn't necessarily jump off the page as a major talent. That's why I was surprised when he originally surfaced in NXT in 2020, mostly because the company had already signed several top names from the indies at the time, but the entrance and presentation made him look like a major star.

In truth, Kross' run in NXT didn't have the time to properly develop, as he was only on the brand for a little more than a year and about four months of that time was spent on the shelf with a shoulder injury. In fact, he originally hurt his shoulder in the match where he won the title so he quite literally didn't have a championship reign. He recaptured the belt briefly when he was back from the injury, but dropped it after he debuted on Raw, where he lost to Jeff Hardy in roughly two minutes. for all intents and purposes, the Karrion Kross character was ruined after that point. NXT champion or not, the message was sent on the biggest stage possible in WWE that Kross wasn't a threat. The fact that he was given the goofy gladiator outfit a few weeks later and didn't have Scarlet as his valet sealed his fate of being released. Again, opinions vary on how much potential Kross brings to the table as a possible top talent, but the bottom line is, the scripting of his main roster run destroyed any chance he had of being successful. The time away from the company was beneficial because it created some distance between the new look that he has now and the ridiculous helmet from the last time the audience saw him on television. Kross made an appearance during a Roman Reigns segment, implying that he might be in line to work with the champion, and that's a bold leap, but we know that Roman needs fresh opponents, at least until Cody Rhodes can return from the pec injury.

I wouldn't necessarily bet the world on Kross getting over as a threat to Reigns' title, but I think it's at least possible with the right presentation. The potential for it is there, particularly based on his intensity, but the determine factor is if the booking can continue to distance him from the goofy visual from before, and portray him as a dangerous competitor.

Maybe I'm missing something about Dexter Lumis, but I just don't see the hype or what the organization might be missing if he didn't get re-signed. The former Samuel Shaw does decent promos and he's decent in the ring, but outside of that I don't get what would make him a priority talent. Don't get me wrong, if Lumis can get another WWE deal for good money then good for him, I'm just not sure he would be at the top of the list of the guys to re-sign from the pandemic budget cuts.

However, in my view, the bigger story was how Lumis was brought back into the fold and what that could be an indication of for the product. Lumis was seen in the background being led away by security on Raw. It was a subtle angle that created intrigue because it wasn't the usual blatant WWE trope from the playbook. Sure, the fans figured it out and it was mentioned on social media so it's not a build up to a major reveal, but the point is that it allowed for a segment that got people talking about the show, and thus a reason to tune into the show because you don't know what's going to happen. For too long, there was a WWE formula that was so recycled and predictable that you could skip a month of Raw and not actually miss any progress of the show. At the very least, the attempt to give the viewing audience angles that progress week to week is more of an incentive to tune in on a regular basis.

It's easy to get the positive feedback for the returns because it most cases, the audience will initially pop for the return regardless of who it is, but so far the Triple H booking style has kept the product moving at a better pace than we've seen previously. It will be interesting to see how Kross and Lumis develop on each brand and how successful they are under the Triple H management of the company.

What's the status of Sasha Banks?

Sometimes you have to wonder about the optics.

Just as I made a scroll through social media while insomnia prevented me from getting some decent sleep, I saw a rather abrasive thread on Twitter. Granted, that's about 95% of social media, but it made me think of what the optics of a situation might honestly translate to. The C2EC convention is being held this weekend outside of Chicago, and as is often the case with these conventions, actors, artists, and of course, pro wrestlers are a part of the line-up. While C2E2 is one of the more well-known conventions in the country, these events happen often and there are those that find a second career working the circuit. William Shanter, as gruff and ignorant in person as you've probably read about him, is 90, but racks in $100 an autograph at these shows. Tom Arnold, god bless him, is also a regular at these conventions. So, you can see the level of stardom of these guest varies, as does the price. The pro wrestlers are the same way, Rikishi actually lowered his price to $20 per autograph at one of the shows he attended, whereas Ric Flair will write his name for $80 at a convention just outside of Pittsburgh next weekend. Again, prices vary, with some ranging into the outrageous, but if fans are willing to pay it, good for the guests that can land that type of cash, that's capitalism. If The Undertaker can get $250 for a photo-op at this point in his career then he has the right to make that money.

Still, with the hefty price tags naturally comes some type of expectation for a pleasant experience. In fact, a good interaction can soften the hit to your wallet when you know you gave the cash to a celebrity that appreciated that fans put their money down to meet them. Kevin Nash actually is the coolest dude in wrestling and getting to meet him twice made me even more of a fan of him. Chris Jericho, say what you want about his politics, was very kind to me when it took me extra time to be able to walk up to his table. Thankfully, the vast majority of experiences I've had at these conventions were positive and worth the price of the meet and greets. Sammy Guevara randomly handed me the TNT title for a photo-op, which I still consider an unofficial championship reign. The point being, these experiences can have such an impact on fans of any genre.

That's why I was very disappointed to see the thread on Twitter that Sasha Banks and Naomi, which tweets claimed was at Sasha's request, had at least a three-foot distance between fans and the stars they paid to meet for the photo sessions. I'm sure some Sasha Banks fans will completely disagree with me on this, but I'm going to attempt to take a measured approach for the situation. First and most importantly, the world is still in the midst of the COVID pandemic and as we know, vaccination rates still aren't where health officials recommend. The reasons for that and the domino effect it has are a different debate for a different day. So, it makes sense that some people would want to be more precautions about large public gatherings, but that's a given when you agree to an appearance at one of the bigger conventions in the United States. Being cautious of your health is more than understandable, but that view point loses some of its merit when some of that caution is sacrificed for the thousands of dollars headline guests usual make at these events. Was $30,000 enough for Sasha to want to attend a packed convention?

Secondly, it goes without saying that some of the mutants that attend these conventions aren't familiar with etiquette or soap. Wherever Andy Kaufman is now, many of these attendees could use a lesson in S-O-A-P, Soap. As nauseating as it might be, unfortunately, some of that goes with the territory if you're going to work the comic con circuit. Let's hope most of those that were in the building for C2E2 were regular uses of deodorant.

Obviously, we've all seen some of the cringe worthy pictures over the years of wrestling fans that tried to pose with their favorite female wrestler as if they were at a formal dinner. That's bizarre and shouldn't happen. If a wrestler puts their arm around a fan for a photo-op then it was the wrestler's decision, the fan shouldn't have the option to decide if they are going to make any contact with the guests.

Now that we've covered those prerequisites, is Sasha Banks so ego-driven that she doesn't want fans even in her general vicinity? There were rumors online for years and occasional fan stories that Sasha was very egotistical, and this latest news adds at least some level of credibility to that speculation. Anyone remember the temper tantrum when Sasha dropped the tag belts at Wrestlemania a few years ago and disappeared from television for four months? There appears to be a pattern, where Sasha wants to be the featured star or she will to go home. By nature, the wrestling business shuffles talent, especially in the modern era. Banks rightfully has some gripes with how she was booked in the WWE, but in some ways, that's the nature of the beast. That's also a major reason why the company pays as well as it does because seven figures makes subpar booking a lot easier to deal with.

Sure, right now, Sasha has the "street cred" so to speak of walking out of the WWE and standing up to the corporate machine, but was that really what happened? It's at least possible that Banks thinks she's a bigger star than she actually is outside of the WWE platform. Since Triple H took over as head of creative, there are already discussions that prehaps Sasha and Naomi will be brought back into the fold, which would be a wise decision. Don't get me wrong, Sasha Banks is absolutely a star and one of the most talented performers of her generation, but the stardom might've skewed her perception of her status outside of the WWE.

From what I read, the photo-op with Sasha and Naomi was $130. That's $130 to stand in the same frame as some of your favorite wrestlers with the visual that makes it clear that they wanted nothing to do with you. Again, if Sasha can get the money for that then that's capitalism, but it doesn't create for the best fan experience. Instead of that photo-op as a way to remember meeting someone that was as cool as you hoped they might be, it's a reminder that they didn't really want to be near you, but are happy to take your money. When you consider that Mick Foley had a lot of poses with fans from the same convention, I have to say that while precautions are understandable, if Sasha didn't want anyone near her then maybe everyone, including the fans that paid the $130 would've been better off if she just didn't attend the convention.

The bigger picture is that if Banks returns to the WWE, how long until she becomes dissatisfied with her status in the company again? Taking into account the pattern of at least a few riffs with management in the past, the odds say that she would become discontent again. Here's the key to it all, wrestlers have disagreed with promoters as long as the wrestling business has existed, but the vast majority of the time, a compromised is reached because there's business to be done and money on the table. Is Sasha really going to want to go along with business if she returns to the WWE?

Houston wrestling memorabilia

In the modern era, so much of the history of professional wrestling is preserved on film and available at the push of a button. The combination of wifi, smart phones, and streaming networks allow fans to shuffle through the digital pages of wrestling history almost instantly. It might be a WWWF Madison Square Garden show from the 1970s with those concrete rings, an NWA super card of the 80s where the blood flowed freely on the canvas, or the spectacles of the 90s when the business was at such a boom period.

However, as tough as it might be to consider for modern fans, there was a time before technology allowed everything to be saved and filed away in a digital archive so easily. For example, footage of Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson, regarded as one of the greatest tag teams of all time, is only seen in often incomplete 8mm footage that was shot from ringside. Still, there are those that attempt to compile the physical items that remain from that era. Jim Cornette, the legendary manager that can still rile up wrestling fans today, has a well-known collection of items that range from programs to beta tapes to posters to log books. Podcast czar and real estate guru, Conrad Thompson is known for his collection of historical items as well. Thankfully, collections like these ensure that names from the past don't get lost in time. Jim Londos, Karl Gotch, Ed "Strangler" Lewis, and others remain a part of the fabric of wrestling history through these records.

Theses rare finds don't pop up often and they are a small circle of people that have such items in their collection.

More recently, diehard fan Phil Cole got some notoriety on Twitter when he began posting photos of Houston Wrestling memorabilia. Some of the never-before-seen items were from the personal record of Paul Boesch, a former grappler that took over promoting the city in the mid-1960s and ran a successful territory for more than two decades before his retirement. Houston Wrestling had a who's who of the biggest names throughout multiple eras of the industry, and these office records gave unbelievable insight into the booking and payoffs of some of the sport's biggest starts. Harley Race, Junkyard Dog, and Gino Hernandez were just some of the names that were sprinkled in the documents.

"When I purchased all these items from the Paul Boesch estate sale, I had no intention of ever just putting them in storage or never showing them. I believe every wrestling fan should be able to see these historical documents of wrestling," said Phil Cole.

Cole, a diehard fan his entire life, was memorized with the sport since 1977, particularly with Mexican legend, Mil Mascaras. At just eight years old, he bought his first Bill Apter magazine and was hooked for the rest of his life. Hunting down programs and posters from the era of his earliest fandom became a fun hobby, but when the Boesch estimate went up for sale  Phil took his fandom to an entirely new level.

"I knew the Paul Boesch estate sale was going to be in early March of last year. Obviously I wasn’t able to fly to Taxas for it. So, I had a good feeling that there would be some wrestling memorabilia from the sale. Little did I know it would be Boesch’s personal collection of programs, signed contracts, and financial paperwork. I purchased my first complete program with all 12 signed contracts and all the paperwork around nine days after the estate sale on e bay. I actually contacted the seller the moment I saw it, she had just listed it. I made her an offer and she accepted. It was the October 24, 1980 card with the main event being Dusty Rhodes vs. Ivan Koloff in the first ever coffin match," Phil explained.

Being a fan of Houston wrestling and a collector of memorabilia, Phil was very enthusiastic for his items to arrive at his home in Western Pennsylvania, but the impact of the documents he received on him was profound.

"When I finally received my first one in the mail, It was like Christmas as a kid. I was very excited to actually hold these rare items in my hands. I wasn’t disappointed I was actually holding Paul Boesch’s original paperwork that he filled out. It was sort of surreal, to be honest. These have never been seen by anyone until now, very historic wrestling material, Cole commented.

Seeing the payoffs, gates, and revenue all written from the hand of the legendary promoter hooked Phil completely and he was immediately on the hunt for as much of the Boesch estate as he could find.

"A second seller on e bay popped up, I contacted him as well. He actually bought the bulk of programs from 1979-1985. All were complete with signed contracts and paperwork. I sent him two dates from 1980 that I wanted to buy. and I was very excited to find out he did in fact had both of them. We worked out a deal, and I just added two more to my first one. I stayed in contact with my seller and have purchased a few more Houston programs and contracts," Cole remarked.

In the time since he began posting pictures of these collections, Phil's memorbilla began a highlight of social media, as other longtime fans get to enjoy a glimpse at such rare items that weren't uncovered until the Boesch estate sell.

"My favorite piece’s of the Paul Boesch collection would have to be my signed contracts from both NWA World Title Match’s between Harley Race and Mil Mascaras," Phil concluded.

The career of Glenn Spectre

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in" -Micheal Corleone, Godfather III, 1990

Professional wrestling, an entertainment spectacle that was shrouded in secrecy for years, is often compared to the mafia, both for its original code of silence and its often lifetime membership. Originating from the carnival circuit, sports entertainment was usually a cash business at the box office, the same way that La Cosa Nostra dealt with cash in its heyday. There were kingpins that called the plays, very similar to how promoters picked their champions. As we've seen more recently, even some of the bosses disappear from public view after indiscretions.

Was kayfabe really that different than omerta?

"I wasn’t aware that there was a whole independent scene for wrestling. The entire thing was mysterious and the idea that I could be a wrestler never even occurred to me because how people broke in was so mysterious"

Glenn Spectre grew up just outside of Philadelphia and was naturally an ECW fan, but first fell for the over-the-top world of professional wrestling when he was a youth that saw the sport on television alongside of his grandfather. However, it wasn't until a family vacation to the Jersey Shore in the summer of 1987, when he attended a WWF live event that saw his favorite tag team, Demolition squared off against The Bulldogs that the energy of the show left a memorable impression on him.

It wasn't until he went to college that he saw a peek through the curtain that eventually provided an introduction to learn the ropes of the sport. Working security to make extra cash between classes, Glenn took a gig as security for an independent show promoted in Pittsburgh by local legend, T. Rantula, a mammoth grappler that made appearance for the WWF, WCW, and ECW in the late-90s. Through those shows, Spectre ran into a fellow that claimed to be a trainer, but would soon find out that wasn't the case. A browse through interviews online will yield stories of even the most well known superstars that were initially swerved when they first broke into the industry. "Teaching someone how to write a check" is a phrase often used to describe such a debacle. Thankfully for Glenn, an established pro of the Pittsburgh scene, the late James Fawcett, known for years as Devil Bhudakahn, swooped in for the save, guiding him toward legitimate training classes.

"Jimmy was my savior in the business because I didn’t know anything about professional wrestling beyond what I saw as a fan. Devil and I met on an outlaw show and he saw something in me, and decided to train me. He rescued me from that bad situation. He helped open the door to a number of local promotions for me. Once we started our tag run at IWC I began working out and training with Shirley Doe and Super Hentai at IWC’s wrestling school. I learned a ton from them as well, and I think they appreciated my dedication to them and the school. A few years later I became the assistant trainer at the IWC school and I went to training under those guys to working as a trainer at the school which was a huge point of pride for me. I was there multiple times a week and working shows on the weekend. I ate, drank, slept, and breathed pro wrestling," Glenn explained.

After his 2001 debut in the business, Spectre dove into the sport full-force and made a splash in his home promotion of the International Wrestling Cartel, which was promoted at the time by Norm Connors, the godfather of the Pittsburgh indy circuit, and branched out along the east coast as well. A mixture of solid in-ring technical skills and a level of charisma to connect with a variety of crowds made Spectre one of the talents to watch in the early 2000s. When he wasn't assisting training classes or studying grainy VHS tapes of international grappling, Glenn zigzagged around Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio every weekend.

"I got to feud with the late and great Brodie Lee and work with an amazing set of guys, some you’d recognize right away and some are guys who maybe didn’t make it as far, but really were amazing to work with," Spectre said of his time in NWA Upstate. 

"I was a top guy in IWC, getting to work with a number of names and darlings of the indies while also wrestling amazing local Pittsburgh talent. I learned so much in those years, probably the most important thing being you have to put the work in.I think people often think of professional wrestlers as undisciplined, but I developed a great deal of my work ethic by working tirelessly on the Indies," he added about his career in Pittsburgh.

Glenn became a natural in the ring with crisp maneuvers and timing, so much so that within just three years of his pro wrestling tenure, he landed a dream opportunity to wrestle in Japan, a place he had seen on those grainy VHS tapes previously. Makio Kodama, known to his friends as "Macky" owns a wrestling store in Japan and was a big fan of the IWC shows at the time, traveling to see them live when time permitted. Macky saw Shirley Doe, one of the most tenured and respected competitors of Pittsburgh circles, and Glenn compete on a card, which led to promoters in Japan to bring them to the country to wrestle there. When offered a spot in DDT, a promotion known for its off-the-wall presentation, Glenn was asked to play a flamboyant persona based on Queen front man, Freddie Mercury. Assuming his initial 2004 trip would be a one-off, Glenn and his traveling crew immersed themselves in the Japanese wrestling experience. Eating dinner at the world-famous Ribera Steakhouse, seeing the sights in the country, and finding out their lodging was at a by-the-hour motel made for a memorable trip. What Spectre didn't know was that he connected so well with the Japanese audience that he would become a semi-regular for the DDT group, with half a dozen tours in nearly a two-year span.

"I loved working in Japan, literally my favorite times in wrestling, and that is saying a lot considering how much fun I have had wrestling. I originally went over to feud with their top babyface Danshoku Dino, who had a similar character, but very quickly we were put together as a tag team as The Gay Machine Guns. Suddenly in subsequent tours, I’m main-eventing televised events in a sold out Korakuen Hall. It was insane how fast it all went from what I thought would be a one match anomaly to something that began to dictate even how I wrestled in the states. My bookings went up tremendously as did what I could ask money wise, but they almost always wanted me to play this character. I absolutely love Japan. It’s the only country I’d want to live in besides the good old USA. I’m super glad Sanshiro Takagi and DDT took a chance on me, and very grateful to have Macky and Doe making the initial connection," Spectre remarked. 

But, professional wrestling can be harsh. After the professional highs of trips to Japan, a broken scapula at an NWA Upstate event  in 2006 forced Spectre to reevaluate his life. As entertaining as Glenn was in the ring and had the thrills of a lifetime in the process, real-life hit him with a tough reality check. With his family and future in mind, he made the tough choice to hang up his boots, retiring after five very successful years in the sport.

"My wife and I were really struggling financially, though she never asked me to quit and has always been my biggest supporter and fan. After I returned from the broken scapula,. I felt this weight in terms of becoming a success. I had been to Japan multiple times, but everything still felt super desperate, and unfortunately I just didn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. So, I flinched. I hate to admit it, but though I had climbed quite high, I could not see that what I needed to do was just be a bit more patient. I took a break to focus on getting a job and starting a family," Glenn said.

Glenn joined the real world as a civilian and eventually started his own tabletop game store, Draw Bridge Games, in 2015. He went from headlocks and arm drags to Dungeons and Dragons. Very similar to his stint in wrestling, Spectre found success in the retail world as well, with his store being a very successful and popular spot for games. Glenn's wife gave birth to a healthy son after he stepped away from the ring, and he launched his own business so he was successful and content in his post-wrestling life. Still, what could've happened if Glenn didn't throw in the towel on pro wrestling?

More recently, things came full circle in many ways, as the man that introduced Glenn to the sport, also played a role in his return to the ring. James Fawcett, the same grappler that originally trained Glenn, passed away in 2007, tragically taking his own life at the age of just 32. Fawcett also trained and mentored Bobby Piskor, known in wrestling circles as Bobby Williams when he wears the stripes or the villainous Robert Parker Williams when he laces up the boots. Bobby, who has a twenty-year career of his own, took over as the IWC head trainer earlier this year. Previously, Piskor paid tribute to his late mentor with a book, which Glenn contributed to, and the proceeds were donated to a suicide prevention organization. Fawcett's family gifted Bobby his trainer's wrestling bag, and based on their common ground of a trainer, Bobby presented Glenn with a gift that opened the door for a return to wrestling.

"Bobby had save a set of Jimmy’s gear and framed it for me and he surprised me with in back in 2020. I was super moved. We had been keeping in touch and chatting online and he kept pressing me to at least come back and work out in the ring. I finally agreed and all the longing to get back in the ring that had been completely pent up came pouring out. I went from 'I’m just going to work out in the ring and get back in wrestling shape to, “I am taking bookings I still have fire and fight, I’m gonna get in the best shape of my life again.; And honestly, it happened fast. I went from being out of the game to being in the ring every week in a very short period of time," Glenn commented.

Glenn joined Bobby as one of the trainers of the IWC school, just as he had done all those years earlier after he started his journey in the squared circle. Just a few weeks ago, Spectre, now under the "Big Boss" persona, a nod to his veteran status, stepped into an IWC ring to compete against "Big Time" Bill Collier, an impressive athlete that is always on the radar of national success. It might've taken 15 years, but talent is talent and more often than not, when someone has something to offer to the sport, there's always a way that they are brought back to the business. 

Just when Glenn Spectre thought he was out, pro wrestling pulled him back in.

What's the status of WWE?

After the shock waves of not only the scandal that the Wall Street Journal broke about Vince McMahon's alleged sexual misconduct and millions of dollars of payoffs to keep it all quiet, but also the news that Triple H took over as the head of creative for the WWE, many speculated about the direction of the organization. As we discussed in an article earlier this week, Summer Slam, the first pay-per-view in the post-Vince era, was quick to make a statement about the change in regime. Bayely, who was on the shelf for almost nine months because of a torn ACL, made her return to the company, alongside Io Sky and Dakota Kai, who was released in April. Among other things, Becky Lynch, who suffered an injury of her own and will be on the sidelines several months, turned baby face to bring back "The Man" persona that originally propelled her in popularity a few years ago. We also saw a wild main event that had a lot of sizzle, with the stunt that saw Brock Lesnar move the ring with a tractor before he was defeated by Roman Reigns in a last man standing match.

The aftermath on Raw had fans tune in to see what the chatter was about on social media. According to The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, the show garnered a 2.2 rating, which is the best number of the year.

The number is very revealing because it proves a few things about the product, as well as the potential viewing audience. It goes without saying that the ratings of under two million for WWE's flagship show would've been unthinkable in the past, but there are a number of factors that go into the equation. In 2003, when the Monday night show averaged around three million viewers, it was considered a sign of a wrestling recession since it was such a drastic drop from the record-setting ratings of just a few years prior. In the almost two decades since that time, the evolution of media played such a role in the way that viewers consume content and all of the dynamics around it. It can be a very complex topic, but to keep it on a surface level, the expansion of wifi and smart phones in the past 15 years had a major effect on how content is distributed, as well as how that process is monetized. Let's not forget, one way or another, it still all comes down to the almighty dollar. The ability to stream content and more importantly, offer content on-demand, changed the way content is distributed and also how advertisers marketed their products to consumers. There was a time when commercial revenue was relatively cut and dry in that the shows with the highest ratings had the biggest ad revenue since more viewers translated to more exposure of a product. Now, getting those commercials to potential consumers has become more difficult, simply by the the multitude of avenues that can be used to get those ads seen. Buying commercial time on a podcast or ad space on a streaming platform is just as important as traditional advertising because the concept of on-demand content is so common in the modern era.

Why did the WWE land such massive TV contracts along with the Peacock deal?

As I've said before, it wasn't the popularity of sports entertainment, but rather the dynamics of the television business that made it possible. By nature, live sports content is considered to be more DVR proof than most traditional shows, and the WWE produces nearly 200 live shows a years. Raw and Smackdown numbers are sluggish this year, but pro wrestling generally has a steady and consistent number, which is a safer bet for advertisers. The WWE Network has thousands of hours of content available at the push of a button, and thus commercial spots for all of those shows. We already know that the company will tout record-setting numbers based on those contracts alone, but what about the product in the future?

The 2.2 number isn't great, but at a time when there are exponentially more options for viewers now than in the past, it's at least a number that's encouraging as far as a new chapter for the organization. The bigger story is that there's undoubtedly a portion of the audience that would watch if the product gave them a reason to tune into the show. That proves that there are causal fans that keep an eye on the business, but usually aren't going to tune in regularly. Three hours every week can be too much like a chore for viewers rather than an entertainment option. Still, the point is, there are definitely more fans willing to watch the show if they are given a quality product, which is why this past Monday did the best number of the year. Sure, it could've been an artifical bump from the pay-per-view or the news that Triple H took over after Vince's public exit, but the biggest takeaway is, there's a considerable part of the audience that is at least willing to watch sports entertainment if they are given a reason.

This is underscored by the fact that some of the retro aspects of the industry still have more main stream popularity than the current generation.

If or how WWE brass attempts to retain some of those casual fans that took a peek on Monday remains to be seen, but as I've said before, the women's division is probably the company's biggest asset right now. Becky Lynch, Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Bianca Belair could all be pop culture stars if given the right platform. Guys like Bron Breakker need a bigger stage and a fast track to the spotlight, especially with the lack of depth of star power on the main roster. Remember, there's a different between in-ring talent and star power. The current roster arguably has the most in-ring talent in the history of the company, but ranks lower in star power. Essentially, management has to promote the competitors to their fullest potential to maximize the assets that the company has right now. Kevin Owens is a grappler that floundered at various points in his career, but make no mistake about it, he's one of the most valuable commodities in the organization. The same can be said for Sami Zayn. There's a reason why Owens was the guy that got paired with Steve Austin at Wrestlemania, the same way Sami didn't get randomly picked to work with Johnny Knoxville. They aren't typical Vince McMahon prototypes and maybe that's why their success had peaks and valleys. However, the change in regime could lead to a change in philosophy.

Don't get me wrong, there are members of the general public that don't want anything to do with pro wrestling and wouldn't watch it under any circumstances. That portion of the public is irrelevant since they aren't the target audience, but the ratings for this past Monday proved that they are more potential viewers that would tune their television to Raw, and the WWE has the talent to draw them to the product so it will be interesting to see if the fresh chapter can find more of an audience.