Worlds End review

I penned an  article earlier this week about the momentum shift of the industry throughout 2023 and more specifically, the upswing that WWE was on ahead of next year, with the return of CM Punk to the organization. At the same time, I detailed how the exit of Cody Rhodes and subsequently Punk saw All Elite Wrestling stall much of the momentum it had upon its 2019 launch. The novelty wore off and the organization was going to sink or swim based on its on merit. In typical pro wrestling fashion, Tony Khan's organization found a way to tread water so the narrative of the promotion wasn't entirely negative, but certainly not completely positive either. That's probably the most frustrating aspect of the entire AEW situation, the pieces of the puzzle are still there for the organization to be much more successful than it is, and in some ways, the success of All Elite was almost in spite of its lack of direction.

 

The slapstick approach that Tony Khan takes to his product, one that often either doesn't fully utilize the talent on the roster or scenarios where a performer disappears from television completely, with the exception very minimal exposure of ROH, continues to be a common criticism.

Taking all of that into account, the reveal of the devil storyline that was stretched across All Elite programming for the past several months, perhaps too long, would be key to the momentum or lack thereof for the organization at the start of 2024. So, did the reveal live up to the hype?

Before we discuss the line-up, and I know I've said this before so it will be repetitive, but it remains true, these marathon pay-per-views don't intrinsically increase the value of the broadcasts. A nine-match card becomes tedious rather than anticipated  Furthermore, outside of the devil revelation, which could've been resolved at Full Gear, there wasn't really a reason for the Worlds End event to be added to the calendar. The Continental Classic finals match was an artificial way to build up to a conclusion at the PPV, but again, outside of the devil mask, there weren't angles that justified another pay-per-view before the end of the year. In fact, one of the strengths of All Elite, at least initially, was the schedule that allowed for each pay-per-view to seem like a major event rather than just another broadcast.

 

Another example of Tony Khan's booking quirks, and yet another way to crowbar more names onto the card, was another eight man tag team match added as the opener the show. The mishmash team of Claudio, Bryan Danielson, Mark Briscoe, and Daniel Garcia vs. Rush, Jay Lethal, Jay White, and Brody King was very similar to the other eight man tag contest that was scheduled for later in the night as far as it being an exhibition match, not a bout that any importance to the angles within the company. I'm still not sure if Danielson should be wrestling with the eye injury, but this contest was more or less a waste of his skills. This bout had a lot of action and was fun for what it was, but from a storyline or character perspective, it completely lacked any purpose. If this contest wasn't a part of the pay-per-view, would it have made a major difference in the quality of the show or the selling point for the audience to pay for the event? Garcia got his nose smashed and it looked to be swollen throughout the segment. Garcia got the pin for the victory, but it's doubtful that there will be any major follow-up on Dynamite or Collision.

 

Prior to the broadcast, it was reported online that Andrade planned to finish up with the organization, and all things considered, it wasn't much of a surprise. As I've written before, Andrade wasn't happy with the direction of his career under the guidance of Vince McMahon so he tested the waters outside of the WWE. You can't blame him for that, but the lack of structure and being lost in the shuffle of AEW didn't suite him either. Given that he already has work lined up in Mexico, and is probably willing to return to WWE with Triple H as the head of creative, there's no reason for him to spin his wheels in the Khan-owned organization. Keep in mind, Andrade had his greatest success in WWE during his time in NXT when Triple H made the decisions for the brand. The match was good, but nothing over-the-top, and given the finish, with CJ Perry assisting Miro for the victory, it looked like Andrade might've wrapped up his All Elite tenure.

 

Toni Storm vs. Riho was fine, but nothing spectacular. I know there's some criticism about Riho, but as far as in the ring, she's a decent competitor. Still, since she was brought back into the fold rather quickly and there wasn't much build up for this title match, this was more of a TV match than a pay-per-view bout. I understand why management wanted to get Storm on the card because of the recent success of her new character, and she's done well with it, but there just isn't much to discuss with this segment. Toni Storm retained the AEW Women''s championship.

 

Speaking of matches that could've been put on television, or in this case, not booked at all, Swerve Strickland vs. Keith Lee was rather pointless for this pay-per-view. Sure, there was a previous feud from several months ago that had no definitive conclusion, but it wasn't as if these two were involved on television to justify a match on pay-per-view. If anything, this was a major step back for Swerve in terms of his character since it recycled a storyline from when he was in a more secondary role in AEW. Granted, I thought the Texas death match with Adam Page was too gory for a national promotion, but Swerve become more popular in recent months so it would've made sense to put him in a position to progress as a character. Another match with Keith Lee, a reference to a feud that flopped at the time, does nothing to help Swerve become a bigger star. If anything, this was shoehorned onto the card to give Swerve something to do and that also does nothing to spotlight his skills. So, when Dustin Rhodes replaced Keith Lee, it didn't have any effect on the prospect of the contest because it would've been just as random or more suitable for television either way. The fact that Dustin can still go at the level he can is remarkable and this match was solid. Furthermore, Dustin's selling did more to establish Swerve's heel persona than any of his other recent matches. Obviously, Swerve getting the win was the right call, but hopefully, there's something more meaningful planned for him after this pay-per-view.

 

The eight man tag team match was an audible called when Kenny Omega suffered diverticulitis, putting him on the sidelines indefinitely. While this change gave Sting a spot on the show as he approaches his retirement in a few months, it morphed what could've been a tag title match that progressed the narrative of a few tag teams into a basic exhibition match without anything at stake. Ricky Starks and Big Bill have done well as a team team after originally being more or less thrown together so they deserve credit for making themselves an asset to the show. On the flip side, both Konosuke Takeshita and Powerhouse Hobbs are too talented to be shuffled onto the show as a replacement bout. Takeshita and Hobbs should have much bigger individual roles in the company, despite being mid-card players at this point, and that's one of the booking fumbles of Tony Khan.

The match itself was fine and basically what you're going to expect from an eight man tag, but the question is, particularly with such an extended card, did this match really have to be put on pay-per-view? Would the audience have been disappointed or thought they didn't get their money's worth if they wasn't used as a replacement contest? If not then maybe it would've been better to schedule it for Dynamite. Sammy Guevara got win for his team, but similar to Garcia earlier, it's doubtful that it will actually lead to a bigger role on television. However, it was great to see super fan Vladimir at ringside, especially because I read earlier this year that he had some health problems so hopefully he's doing better.

Julia Hart vs. Abadon was a solid match for what it was, even though it wasn't given enough time to get into second gear with only a ten-minute segment. It should be noted that both of these athletes portray their characters very well and if they can get more in-ring experience to continue to improve their skills, they have a major upside for the promotion. Abadon got themselves in great shape during their hiatus and had the best stint of their AEW tenure recently. Julia Hart only has a few years of experience, but if she can continue to evolve as a performer with a well-rounded skill set, she could be very marketable. Considering that Abadon hasn't been on television too often prior to the set up of this title bout, it made sense for Julia to retain the belt.

 

The TNT title match was one of the few bouts that saved the show from being a glorified TV taping, and in truth, the majority of the roster could learn a lot from this performance. The selling from both competitors emphasized the heat and made the most out of what they did during the segment. Adam Copeland suffered a nasty cut above his eye from a stomp on the steps and that added some depth to the narrative of the match. I'm not sure if Copeland was trying to protect Nick Wayne by landing him toward the edge of the flaming table to reduce the risk of injury, but the spot was somewhat flat since the table just flipped over. I'm not sure a flaming table spot was needed, especially because the finish implied that this feud will continue, and it should, but fire should be saved for the payoff of an angle. Copeland winning only to be attacked by Killswitch and then Christian gets the title back was great stuff. It gets Christian even more heat and as mentioned allows for the rivalry to continue after this. It should be noted that he's arguably the best heel in the business and everything he does has impact. Christian maximizes his minutes on television and his run in AEW added a lot to his legacy. 

 

As critical as I was of the concept of the Continental Classic, a tournament based on New Japan's G1, being used on American television for no other reason than that Tony Khan is a big fan of the Japanese promotion, Eddie Kingston being as over as he is more or less saved the concept. Ironically, the fans were invested in the finals because of how over Kingston is as a character, not because of the five star matches the tournament was supposed to produce on television. Without the emotional investment from the audience to see Eddie succeed, mostly because he was underutilized as a persona in the past, this tournament would've been just a series of matches without any angle for the crowd to identify with at the conclusion. While the tournament had a few really good matches, were any of them used to truly elevate any of the competitors? Eddie was the champion prior to the start of the competition so his role was already established, but for example, did Rush or Mark Briscoe make any progress as characters in the tournament?

As much as John Moxley has been an MVP for All Elite Wrestling and deserves credit for it, considering he put the company on his back on more than one occasion when needed, he's almost been overexposed because he had to jump into those roles at various times. Basically, he didn't need to advance in the tournament since he's already one of the bigger stars on the roster. Given Swerve's current popularity, this spot would've served him better. The match itself was very good and more or less what you'd expect, it was a very physical, hard-hitting bout. Kingston getting the win was absolutely the right decision because of the level that he's over with the audience, and the fact that the victory wouldn't have done anything for Moxley, he doesn't need it, which is a credit to his star power. The only downside is, I don't think another unnecessary championship should be added to the organization, and this keeps Eddie stuck in a mid-card position rather than a world title run, which you could make the argument for with how much the crowd rallied behind him.

 

The main event was very well done, it didn't drag like the world title match on the Full Gear card, and had enough action to keep a good pace. That said, the finish was very flat and didn't provide much of a moment for Samoa Joe as the new champion. Clearly, the audience was waiting for the reveal of the devil to play a role in the finish and when there was an abrupt conclusion to the title match, it didn't allow for anything to built toward the title switch. That said, MJF is reportedly legitimately injured so he's probably going to take some time off, which is a key factor in what happened in the post-match segment.

As we know, Adam Cole was revealed as the devil, with Rodrick Strong, Wardlow, Matt Taven, and Mike Bennett as the henchmen. There are a number of problems with this and it could probably be addressed in its own article, but I will try to summarize the situation. When you take into account how long this angle was stretched, there had to be something shocking about it to justify the extended period of time it was pushed on television. The two most predictable results for this storyline when it started were either MJF was who he said he was all along, or Adam Cole turns on MJF because you'd assume that Friedman would continue to be the heel. If the angle went a month or two, those would be acceptable options, but the longer it was drawn out on television, the more it had to be something worthwhile. This just wasn't a result that was worth the amount of time it was given on AEW programming because why did the fans need months of build up when the reveal was something that was guessed almost immediately after the storyline started?




Furthermore, outside of Roderick Strong, none of the henchmen are going to add to or benefit from this stable. None against Taven or Bennett, they are solid unity workers, but they were less than secondary characters not too long ago so why would they be seen as major additions to this faction? Again, with months of build up, there had to be star power involved in this stable. Putting Wardlow in another group does nothing but put another ceiling on what he can accomplish in the company. The bottom line is, if Wardlow is going to be a bigger star, he's going to have to go elsewhere.

Finally, with MJF injured, he's obviously not going to be able to seek revenge against the group anytime soon. Furthermore, the leader of the stable is also sidelined with a serious injury so what exactly is Adam Cole going to do to keep this storyline relevant on TV? More specifically, with MJF injured, how is the faction going to stay relevant on television? Despite the lackluster reveal, Cole and Friedman are injured so where's the payoff? Is the audience really going to care when the match finally happens? It would be a completely different scenario if Cole was healthy, as he could win championships and gloat about his success to set up for an MJF return to attempt to take away those titles as a form of retribution. Keep in mind, Adam Cole didn't cost MJF the world title.

Overall, The TNT title match and the Continental Classic bout saved this from being a complete flop of a pay-per-view. That's not to say that any of the matches were subpar, but rather that none stood out as more than a TV match besides the two bouts mentioned. That doesn't justify the $50 price tag to order this event on pay-per-view. When a surprise is predictable, it's not much of a surprise, and Adam Cole under the mask was very underwhelming. One of the biggest takeaways from this event was that the focus will be on the mixed reaction to the reveal, not Samoa Joe as the new champion, which demonstrates the lack of focus often seen within the structure or lack thereof of the AEW product.

The Iron Claw review

When I originally heard about the concept of a feature film chronicling the turbulent times of the famous Von Erich wrestling family, I didn't put too much thought into it, specifically because sometimes these films have as much visibility, at least initially, as someone in the witness protection program. There was a really interesting documentary about Vampiro, the Canadian grappler that become a cultural phenomenon in Mexico in his heyday, that was released a few years ago, but without proper distribution, and those deals are difficult to secure, it ended up on some free random streaming platform during the pandemic.

However, when I saw that it was going to get a main stream theater release, I gave the production more consideration, especially because a movie studio isn't going to pump that type of cash into a project, with the numerous other options available, unless they think there are realistic chances for major box office business.

Granted, I'm generally pessimistic by nature (one of my many character flaws), but I was still skeptical about the potential of the project, given the delicate balance it would have to maintain throughout the movie. Don't get me wrong, the Von Erich story, as tragic as it is, is worthy of being told on a wide scale, but if it can be packaged, presented, and distributed in a successful way is a completely different matter. The biggest hurdle, at least initially, was that the World Class peak and the time that many of those tragic events happened was nearly forty years ago so would the general wrestling fan of today even know who the Von Erichs are?

Furthermore, and this is not to discount any of the legitimate legacy of the family, but rather a realistic aspect that must be taken into account with a main stream theater release, are the circumstances of the Von Erich story, a regional pro wrestling family from the 1980s, going to give the general public a reason to go to the theater, particularly at a time when newer releases are often available for home-viewing more often than in the past?

Of course, The Iron Claw's primary audience will be the diehard fans that are dedicated enough to the history of the sport to know who they are, but that often clashes with the need to tailor a narrative to not only fit the big screen format, but also, as mentioned allow for the story to at least be general enough to bring the casual fan into the screening.

It's a very difficult equation to solve because if the story on-screen strays too far from reality, the diehard fans that know the details will balk at Hollywood's manipulation of the manipulated sport that they follow, and at the same time, if the story is too inside baseball so to speak with the extended history of Fritz, the guy in the Roman Reigns t-shirt that just wanted to see "the wrestling movie" will be totally lost throughout the film.

Still, I figured it was worth the $11.99 per ticket to see the film, and the great Pat Maclaughlin, who's old enough to have watched World Class as it happened instead of from DVDs or streaming, invited me to tag along with him to see the movie. Of course, he had permission from Mrs. Mac, the boss or Fritz of the family. Taking into account that he's a father of four, Pat is probably building his own wrestling family stable.

In the opening credits, the title "inspired by true events" is seen, and while it might've been inspired by true events, it didn't take long to see that doesn't necessarily mean based on true events.

In an effort to keep this review as organized as possible, I don't want to parse too many individual scenes, but rather take a look at the narratives that were or weren't established throughout this movie. First, it should be noted that I found that while the Von Erich tragedy is essentially the reason the family was chosen for a semi-autobiographical film, the script seems to intentionally try to lessen the amount of tragedy that the family endured. For example, Chris Von Erich, the youngest of the brothers that had a short stint as a wrestler before he committed suicide in 1991, isn't mentioned in the film at all. Reportedly, writer and director, Sean Durkin explained that Chris was omitted because the story would've been too depressing if it included another tragedy. The bottom line is, If the story of the real-life Adkisson family is too tragedy for Durkin then I honestly think he shouldn't have brought the narrative to film. In some ways, it also does a disservice to the amount of grief that Kevin, who was played by Zac Efron, the last surviving brother had to endure during the World Class heyday.

Speaking of Efron, I understand that it makes sense for a major theater release to base the movie around the biggest star available to attempt to maximize box office, that's one of the sacrifices made if you want to see a niche wrestling story make it to the big screen, but that almost skewed the overall direction of the story. Kevin is the last remaining Von Erich, but the tale of World Class was largely based on David and then Kerry, which this movie doesn't get across, and actually dilutes at certain points with a very inconsistent timeline. Obviously, we know that "creative license" is sometimes used to condense a narrative to fit the allotted runtime of a production, but "The Iron Claw" rewrites history without any apparent goal being accomplished in terms of advancing the narrative.

In fact, the script implies or presents different aspects off the Von Erich family that either didn't happen or weren't even possible. For example, Kerry started wrestling in late-1978, but the film would have you believe that a boycott of the 1980 Olympics led to his debut in professional wrestling. Furthermore, while Kevin started in the business a few months before David, the movie makes it appear like Kevin was a well established star when David joined the family venture. Speaking of 1980, footage of Starrcade 1983 was shown as if it happened three years earlier. David's passing in 1984 was presented as if it happened directly after Kevin's wedding, which actually took place four years earlier.

These smaller details chip away and dilute the overall presentation as the film progresses.

It should be mentioned that  Maura Tierney, who is known for her longtime role on medical drama ER, did a stellar job as Doris Von Erich. The same can be said for Efron, who looked a lot more like Kerry than the real-life lanky Kevin. Holt McCallany did very well in the role of Fritz, and the acting work by the main cast was generally very well done. The heart of the film, the scenes where the family had to deal with tragedy was superb work. The only problem was, there wasn't an overall destination where that grief led any of those characters.

In an example of Durkin's attempt to shield the audience from the tragedy that the movie is based on, Kerry's 1986 motorcycle accident was presented as if it happened in 1984 directly after he won the NWA world championship in honor of his late brother. In reality, Kerry's substance issues were well-known and he dropped the title less than three weeks later back to Ric Flair in Japan because the promoters of the NWA knew Kerry couldn't be a reliable champion. The harsh facts are Kerry being a drug addict, not a motorcycle wreck are what cost him a substantial reign as NWA champion. Unless you already know the depth of the issues that the Von Erichs had, this film cleans up their image, which is counterproductive because again, the grief, and ultimately how it's handled is the glue of the story. Furthermore, Kerry's suicide is vaguely explained and makes it seem as if he was just sad during a phone call to Kevin. In reality, an arrest on drug charges and possible jail time were what led to his suicide. There are a few instances of drug use shown in the movie, but it was presented as 80s partying rather than that Kerry had serious drug issues for several years prior to his death.

In an example of how the small alternations can have a major overall impact on the dynamics of the characters, the way that David was portrayed as dying right after Kevin's wedding, it takes away from the role that the hard-nosed Fritz had in the family. Fritz insisted that his kids make their wrestling commitments so David wasn't going to miss a booking in Japan, even if he didn't feel well. Kerry didn't pursue wrestling because of the Olympic boycott, he started in the business because his dad wanted his kids to follow in his footsteps. Don't get me wrong, Holt McCallany did great in the role of Fritz, but the scripting of the character didn't reflect the impact that he had on the family and thus the domino effect that had as the tragedies unfolded. At the same time, there was a scene toward the end of the film where it was implied that Fritz didn't pay Kevin the money that he was owned, but to my knowledge, nothing like that ever took place. Fritz was domineering because he demanded excellence from his kids, even at the costs of their well-being, but he wasn't going to pinch pennies. That portrayal takes away from the impact of the character.

A few of the pro wrestler portrayals were comically bad. I'm not sure where the bootleg Ric Flair took acting lessons, but he should ask for a refund of his tuition. With as much creative license as this movie took, it would've been better if they hired the real Flair to strut around the set of the Sportatorium. Speaking of the famous Dallas venue, the scenes from there were well done and captured the energy often seen in World Class broadcasts. The guy that was hired to play Harley Race looks like he rotates tires for his day job and appeared rather silly. This film had a budget of $15 million so they could've hired Trevor Murdoch, a student of Race and an actual pro wrestler with a similar physique as Harley had in the latter stages of his career, for the role. The conclusion of the film finds Kevin as the last brother of the Von Erich clan, weeping as he watches his young sons play in the yard and then you see the title sequences that tell the audience that the Von Erich family was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and that Kevin now lives on a ranch with his family. However, there was zero explanation as to how he got there and more importantly, how he overcame the grief from the tragedy that was on-screen for more than two hours. The jump of the timeline of a few decades without any resolution almost gives the impression of an incomplete story.

It goes without saying that this film will be compared to Mickey Rourke's The Wrestler because pro wrestling movies rarely make it to the big screen, and even though the cliches of Rourke's movie don't hold up as well after a few viewings, it had a destination for the main character that The Iron Claw just doesn't have by the time the credits roll at the conclusion. The biggest differences is, the Rourke film was a movie about a wrestler, but wasn't necessarily a wrestling movie, whereas The Iron Claw assumed that either the audience knew part of the story already or simply neglected to take the casual viewer into account. The scenes of grief are powerful and the acting is well-done, but this story never has a firm direction. It a wrestling movie rather than a movie just about wrestlers, but didn't dedicate enough of the script to serve that purpose. The Iron Claw could've and probably should've been a film with more depth to it, but outside of the previously mentioned scenes where the family endures tragedy, the movie is rather disjointed in its presentation.

The narrative of AEW

I usually avoid end of the year retrospective articles, as I see them as low-hanging fruit of topics already discussed, but in this case, I think the events of this year will have a much more direct impact on the next chapter of the industry in 2024 since much of what took place set the table for what's next rather than a simple continuation of the business as the page of the calendar turns to January of next year.

First, it should be mentioned that without All Elite Wrestling, for all of its rightful criticisms, the business would've been far less compelling the past few years. That said, the company's stalled momentum after the initial novelty of a new product wore off and its management blunders have seen the narrative shift within the sport.

As we know, the WWE had several years of drek when TNA was in the midst of a tax lien because of Dixie Carter's total incompetence in 2016 so the Vince McMahon empire could allow the corporate agenda, not fan demand, to direct the product. WWE brass wanted to make Roman Reigns the next John Cena so they shoehorned him into that role, and no amount of fan rejection or hostility was going to change that. Granted, Roman is a top-notch performer and management put him in a very tough position since they tried to force him to become the next Cena instead of allowing him to evolve organically into a main eventer as Roman Reigns. The point being, Roman looked great for the sponsors and thus the shareholders of WWE stock so there were many talents that had their momentum sacrificed in an effort to push baby face Reigns as the top guy. In retrospect, it was such a ham-handed attempt to cater to Vince McMahon's corporate agenda that it was almost cringe worthy. You can't blame the real-life Roman either, the guy did the best with what he was given, the problem was, it was often lame attempts at comedy that did nothing to endear him to an already hostile audience. It's ironic and should be a lesson to management that there's a reason that the audience reaction was used as the barometer in the past and can still measure fan demand today. It was a very unique situation since the fact that WWE was so far ahead of the pack with no legitimate competition for the sports entertainment dollar that they could look to serve the stockholders more than the audience. The bottom line is, if the general public was going to watch pro wrestling in the United States, they were going to watch WWE so management had the advantage of a basic monopoly as far as main stream sports entertainment.

It's no surprise that when Roman Reigns was allowed to naturally evolve as a performer in the role of a heel that he finally become the top star that the office tried to shoehorn for several years, and that heel persona is one of the reasons that the WWE is doing great business with its audience today. That's not to say that the WWE product is in a boom period, as that would suggest that it's a part of pop culture, which it's not, but the company has delivered a quality product that its audience is willing to pay premium prices for, both in terms of ticket sales and merchandise.

The competition, or at least the possibility of it, from All Elite Wrestling is one of the reasons that WWE had an upswing in its business, both because of the ability to maintain its market share and for the opportunities that it created for talent. Cody Rhodes ambitiously left WWE in 2016 when he was typecast as a mid-card comedy act and that exit gave the fans a reason to rally for his success. They knew he was underutilized and their support would prove that the corporate machine was wrong if he was successful outside of the WWE. He was one of the founding members of All Elite Wrestling and eventually familiarity breeds contempt when All Elite fans perceived that Cody was more about his outside of the ring projects than the overall success of the organization. In reality, Cody was just being a smart businessman and nobody can blame him for that, but regardless of the reasoning behind it, Rhodes became the New York Yankees of AEW so to speak. He wore the suits on TV and had his own reality show alongside AEW programming on the Turner networks.

The other side of the coin was part of the Jim Cornette philosophy, "how can we miss you if you don't go away?" and that allowed time for Cody to not only develop the American Nightmare persona that is now the top baby face in WWE, but it also allowed time for the fan demand to build for his return. Based on the fact that the debut edition of Dynamite in October 2019 drew the highest rating in the history of the company with a 1.4 rating, it's clear that a portion of wrestling fans sampled the show and it wasn't for them. That's completely fine because again, AEW is trying to establish an alternative to WWE, not a WWE lite product. Still, the WWE audience at least knew that Cody was still wrestling, they would just rather wait to see him in the "major leagues" than watch a different product, which speaks more to the brand loyal of the audience than anything negative about AEW.

The point being, without AEW, there's not the massive reaction for Cody's return and thus the set up for the storyline that will play out over the course of more than two years as a part of two Wrestlemania main events.

Much of the same can be said for CM Punk, who resurfaced in the industry after a lackluster attempt to pursue MMA in the UFC. Sure, the effort was there, but Phil Brooks didn't even have amateur experience before he tried to fight in the biggest MMA organization in the world. Obviously, that's the catch-22 of the situation, he had too much star power to fight in a regional group, especially if he wanted the most money possible to take legitimate punches in the face, but had no reason to compete in a company that could pay him that type of cash without prior MMA experience. Again, without AEW, and more importantly the fact that Tony Khan can offer comparable money to WWE, CM Punk probably would've sat on his couch. Make no mistake about it, Brooks is a smart businessman and knew there was a buzz after his turbulent dismissal from All Elite so he made a legitimately shocking return and already became the top merchandise seller for WWE. Would Punk have gotten that reaction if the last time he competed in public was a horrendously one-sided decision loss to ham-and-egger Mike Jackson in the UFC five year ago? Again, how can we miss you if you won't go away? There was a decade of demand behind Punk's return to the company and that will also be used for one of the WM main events next year.

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Jade Cargill, to a lesser extent, signing with the WWE sent a message about the status of the industry. Don't get me wrong, one of the benefits of two national groups is that there are options for talent and it can keep everyone fresh, but the point being the narrative of the business puts a lot of momentum on WWE's side. The novelty of All Elite Wrestling wore off and thus the substance rather than the sizzle of the organization determined its standing in the industry. Backstage problems, slapstick booking, and underutilized talent have been the story of All Elite Wrestling for two years, roughly half of its existence. That's not to say that AEW will fold, as we know, this vanity project will continue as long as Tony Khan's billionaire family wants to pick up the tab, but the time frame they have to expand will probably be determined in 2024. For example, there was a period of time in TNA from about 2005-2008 that there was an opportunity for the organization to attempt to take a bigger piece of the pie, but after Dixie Carer failed to make the most of that chance, the company became typecast as a secondary organization. All Elite Wrestling is in danger of being pigeon-holed in such a role if there isn't consistent progress made next year.

As much as I want to see AEW be as successful as possible, particularly for the benefit of the industry, Tony Khan isn't going to relinquish control of his organization, he booked E-fed angles on the internet for years in preparation to get to see it actually play out on-screen so unless someone else would be given the booker job, there's no reason to expect different results from the company. Keep in mind, Tony Khan invested more than $100 million of the Khan family's money to get the chance to play promoter and then winner booker of the year from Dave Meltzer (that and $2.50 can get you a cup of coffee) so he's not going to allow anyone else to run his company, even if he should. It's always a good story to see the underdog overcome the odds to be successful, and very few want to applaud the corporations, especially when most of them are sleazier than anything you will find in the carny wrestling business, but the bottom line is, the WWE is in firm control of the momentum of the industry ahead of 2024. However, the bigger story will be if All Elite Wrestling can expand its audience and most importantly, become profitable next year.

What's next for Kenny Omega?

Kenny Omega is one of the most athletic and influential performers of his generation. He's also a cautionary tale.

The former All Elite Wrestling world champion was scheduled to compete in a tag team match alongside Chris Jericho at next weekend's Worlds End pay-per-view, but he posted on social media just a few days ago that he will be out of action indefinitely. The photo that surfaced online was Omega in a hospital bed, prompting speculation about a serious health issue that landed him in the hospital. Since that time, it was reported that Kenny Omega suffered from a very series case of diverticulitis, the same aliment that put Brock Lesnar on the shelf for an extended period of time during his UFC days, and that he required emergency surgery to address the health scare so that's why the timetable for his return to AEW isn't clear yet.

Unfortunately, it's the second time that "The Cleaner" will spend an undetermined amount of time on the sidelines in just two years. As we known, Kenny Omega's stock began to rise considerably about six or seven years ago when his stellar work in New Japan, specifically an epic series of bouts against Kazuchika Okada, earned the praise of The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer. With the rave reviews from the wrestling reporter, more people took notice of Omega and he developed a dedicated following among diehard wrestling fans. Sure, Kenny was known for his work in DDT and a few stints in Ring Of Honor earlier in his career, but his tenure as a member of the Bullet Club was a peak for him as a performer. He evolved from the comedy matches of DDT to work a main event level in New Japan.

As we know, the collective buzz of Omega, the social media hype of The Young Bucks, and Cody Rhodes' ambitious exit from WWE at the time put the pieces in place for the eventual launch of All Elite Wrestling in 2019. While ROH was an American platform for The Elite during the few years prior to that and the company drew some of its best crowds with The Elite on the card, Sinclair wasn't going to offer or invest the type of cash to truly take ROH to the national level. Keep in mind, Sinclair is in the television business, not the wrestling business and they bought Ring Of Honor for the original programming to attempt to get better ad rates for their network. It's ironic that Tony Khan eventually bought ROH from Sinclair.

As the name implies, The Elite faction were a part of the foundation of the organization, and despite Cody's exit to a much bigger spot in WWE today, the remaining members of the stable are still key talent for the company. In fact, it was reported that Omega, The Young Bucks, and Adam Page all signed new deals with the company this past August, securing their future in All Elite after there was some speculation that a few of them might've negotiated for a potential offer from WWE. Granted, that's smart business, not a betrayal of All Elite or Tony Khan. Remember, there's no retirement plan for independent contractors when they hang up their boots so it only makes sense for pro wrestlers to try to get the best deal they can in an effort to obtain financial security after retirement.

But, did Tony Khan re-sign damaged goods so to speak when he inked Kenny Omega to a new deal?

Breaking into the business when he was still a teenager, the Canadian grappler has wrestled for more than half of his life and has more than twenty years of the toll of the profession on his body. One of the reasons that Omega became a polarizing figure among some pundits of the industry is his high risk and dynamic style. More specifically, the ripple effect of that style and the potential negatives it could have on the next generation of performers. Make no mistake about it, Omega's athleticism is absolutely incredible, even his biggest detractors will probably recognize his athletic ability. A combination of fast-paced maneuvers and dangerous bumps made him one of the top guys in New Japan, a promotion often based on work rate.

Still, there's undoubtedly a major downside to that approach to professional wrestling, and sadly, there are many performers that could've been considered their own cautionary tales before Omega laced up his boots. One of the most famous examples was the legendary Dynamite Kid, who revolutionized the sport, particularly with his memorable series of matches against Tiger Mask, but destroyed his body in the process. The real-life Tom Billington was confined to a wheel chair by the time he was 40. WWE Hall of Fame, Mick Foley has said on his podcast that even he didn't anticipate quite the level of damage that he did to his body from the risky bumps he took during his in-ring career. On the other hand, Jerry "The King" Lawler worked a match at 73 this past January before he suffered a stroke earlier this year. Thankfully, Lawler is said to be recovering well from the health problems.

Kenny Omega solidified his status in Japan and that opened the door for national television exposure in the United States, but he did a lot of damage to his body in the process. I'm not sure that philosophy should be emulated or the goal for aspiring wrestlers in the future. Keep in mind, while there's a delicate balance between the art form and the business side of the industry, the bottom line is, if a wrestler shortens their career because of dangerous bumps then it's less money they could've made from their time as a performer. Again, there's no retirement fund for pro wrestlers, when they hang up their boots, financial security has to be a priority. Furthermore, it's difficult for a promoter or an organization to invest the time and money into a talent if they are injury prone. If a wrestler is on the shelf, they can't draw money in the ring.

That's not to say that every match should be a lazy approach to the performance either, with a 10-mintue headlock instead of in-ring action. There's a difference between being boarder line reckless and giving the fans their money's worth. Quite simply, a match with more risks doesn't automatically translate to a better match. For example, Ricky Steamboat is one of the best in-ring workers in the history of the sport, with fast-paced moves and solid action, but he didn't have to get dropped on his head to get a reaction. Ric Flair might've had a similar playbook for most of his bouts, but nobody could deny that "The Nature Boy" worked hard when the bell rang. Even without the dangerous bumps or high risk style, the wear and tear of the performance can take a toll on the body. Randy Orton worked a very safe and main event WWE style for twenty years, but required back surgery because of the physical demands of the industry.

The toll of Omega's style already put him on the injured list for an extended period of time when he finally took time off in November 2021 to get a few different surgeries to repair various injuries from his career. He was out of action for nine months and returned last August, but the argument could be made that he isn't quite as crisp inside the square circle as he was previously. Obviously, he didn't get diverticulitis from taking bumps, but the point is, it's not only more health problem for him, but also another extended hiatus from AEW. He's considered one off their top stars so it goes without saying that he's an asset to the company when he can be advertised for events. Who knows if the overall toll that his in-ring style took on his body will make his recovery from the illness more difficult or if it will effect his performance when he returns to the company?

Without the nine-month hiatus because of the previous injuries last year, this current illness wouldn't seem quite as concerning, especially because at some point, his overall health will have to be taken into account as far as how many years he will continue to wrestle, specifically the style that he's known for. At 40, Kenny Omega should theoretically have at least five more years of the prime of his career, but it remains to be seen if that's realistically possible.

Regardless of what happens, I think it's fair to say that as long as All Elite exists that Kenny Omega will have a job there, Tony Khan has shown that type of loyalty and empathy as a boss, but his role as an in-ring wrestler might have to be scaled down to avoid more health problems. At some point, it might become a risk to invest too much stock into him if an injury could force him off of a pay-per-view card, especially if he's booked for the title picture again. It might be best if he retires sooner rather than later and takes a job working backstage for the company.

Since money is no object to Tony Khan, the point is mostly moot, but All Elite Wrestling has existed for just four years, and Kenny Omega spent about 25% of that time on the injured list so it's debatable if there was a solid return on the investment of his contract. The more important point is that All Elite Wrestling on the Turner network gave Kenny Omega the biggest exposure of his career, but the various injuries have limited the spotlight so his in-ring style undoubtedly hindered his chance to maximize his star power for the company.

What's next for Cody Rhodes?

Among the slew of pro wrestling podcasts online, there are only a few that I listen to weekly, with clips from others being thrown into the mix based on the topic. That's not to say that there's not other good content, but rather there's only so much time to devote to specific podcasts. One of the few shows I make appointment viewing is the "Kliq This" Podcast with Sean Oliver and Kevin Nash. Oliver, one of the co-founders of the Kayfabe Commentaries production group, joined the podcast landscape after the same concept more or less eliminated his market for the video company that he had. The same stories that he wanted to land from talent of the golden era to put on DVD or a streaming service for $15 were put online for free through the myriad of pro wrestling podcasts. If a legendary performer told their stories for free on the Stone Cold or Talk is Jericho podcast, there wasn't a realistic way for Oliver to sell those same stories for Kayfabe Commentaries group An actor in film and voice work, Oliver brought a level of production to shoot interviews that hadn't been seen before and was one of the revolutionary forces in the direction that wrestling media took in the past decade. Kevin Nash is a smart guy and one of the coolest dudes in the business.

The pair often cover more than wrestling and the show itself sounds more like two friends shooting the breeze at a bar rather than the format of other wrestling podcasts that deep-dive into why Lex Luger didn't win the WWF title at Summer Slam 1993.

A brief portion of this week's show discussed where Cody Rhodes fits into the grand scheme of things within the WWE landscape, an organization that had monumental shifts in just the past few months, with the sale to Endeavor and then the return of CM Punk at Survivor Series. Nash suggested that perhaps with the amount of talent ahead of Wrestlemania, Cody should be taken in a different direction at the The Royal next month. Nash's plan would see Drew McIntyre eliminate Cody from The Rumble to set up their eventual Wrestlemania match, with Randy Orton potentially as one of the challengers for Roman Reigns.

While I completely disagree with the notion that Cody shouldn't be booked for a rematch against Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania, the discussion on the podcast brought some consideration about how WWE brass will get to the match without the storyline being completely recycled?

As I wrote before, I'm happy that I was wrong about the prospects of Cody being able to maintain his momentum as the top baby face in the company after such a disappointing loss at WM last year. It was such a letdown and appeared to be the only logical conclusion to the angle, and still should be, that I didn't see how they could keep Cody strong afterwards. As we know, the way to keep Cody in the conversation as a top guy was the memorable series of matches with Brock Lesnar, which saw Brock endorse Rhodes in an unscripted moment following their trilogy bout at Summer Slam in August.

The circumstances that brought CM Punk back to the WWE will allow Phil Brooks and the company to make a lot of money. In a year when management will try to pitch the broadcast rights fee for Raw, the flagship show of the company, to networks to try to get the highest bidder, the shock and hype around Punk's unexpected return gives the brand a useful level of buzz. CM Punk merchandise is selling very well on WWE Shop so it's already a win-win scenario for everyone involved. It was well-documented that one of Punk's career goals was to main event Wrestlemania, and while it's hypocritical, considering that he mocked the two-night concept when he was on the All Elite roster during the feud with MJF, that same business strategy will allow Punk to main event a WM event, presumably against Seth Rollins, based on the current direction of Raw.

At the same time, Cody Rhodes is being kept busy, which is fine, with a feud with Shinsuke Nakamura. There will probably be a match between the two at The Royal Rumble, but it's obvious that there are bigger things for Rhodes to accomplish than this storyline against the Japanese star.

While Punk isn't there to "take Cody's spot" as the top baby face, and is working with Rollins to avoid that, this might be a situation where Punk's return could almost naturally take some of the spotlight away from Rhodes, which would make it even more important that the set up for a possible rematch with Reigns is booked in a compelling fashion. I'm not sure what it could be, but if he simply wins The Rumble again, it might be too much of a retread from last year. On the other hand, if Punk wins The Rumble, it could take away more spotlight from Rhodes prior to the build to Wrestlemania. In some ways, it's a good problem to have because it creates a lot of intrigue for The Rumble and thus more of an eventual focus on Wrestlemania 40.

However, it will also be a delicate balancing act for WWE management in the next few months.

At 45, CM Punk is there more for the immediate business to be done than necessarily building for the future, especially given his extensive history of injuries. Cody Rhodes is younger and outside of the pec tear a few years ago, has less of a toll on his body. Still, there's mega business to be done with CM Punk, and the publicly-traded company will want to maximize that opportunity for its shareholders.

In my opinion, particularly with the nearly two-year build up by the time Cody would be in the ring for the Roman Reigns rematch, WWE management has to book the fiery baby face to get the wholesome win for the classic celebration as the show goes off the air. Keep in mind, this storyline started the night after Wrestlemania 38 when Cody cut the promo on Raw that he wanted to win the title for Dusty. Roman Reigns was the champion at the time, and the narrative of the championship that Cody had to win to be successful is the one that Reigns has was solidified with their original match last year.

If Cody isn't the one to challenge Roman for the championship at Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia then anything else is a let down or a consolation prize. Furthermore, if Rhodes isn't the one to finally dethrone Reigns then there's a risk that the fans would lose faith in Cody as a main event star.

Obviously, the finish of the Cody/Roman match last year proves that anything is possible, and management has even more options this year with Punk on the roster. Taking into account main events with both Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, there's not really a "B-side" for the two-night concept of Wrestlemania. Fans will be very enthusiastic to see Punk potentially challenge Seth Rollins for the title, mostly because CM Punk celebrating a championship win in the main event of a Wrestlemania show wasn't considered even possible a few months ago. At the same time, the Cody/Roman match more or less writes itself. Sometimes, the most obvious result is still the correct result. While it's possible that management goes a different direction to swerve the audience, I still think that Cody Rhodes defeating Roman Reigns for the WWE championship is the right decision to cement Cody as the top guy in the future.

What's next for AEW?

One of the old tropes of pro wrestling philosophy is, "if you want to get a million dollars in the wrestling business, start with two million." It might be a cliche, but it's still true.

Similar to any live entertainment venture, particularly those that will broadcast on television, it's an expensive project to pursue. Granted, when business is doing well, there's a healthy profit margin that can be made, but one of the barriers to entry for sports entertainment on a national level is simply the amount of capital a company needs to have available just to get started.

Several years ago, when WWE was in the stale phase of the forced Roman Reigns baby face super push, and Brock Lesnar was rarely on television for the shows to have a centerpiece to book around for championship storylines, I mentioned that the WWE would stay king of the hill. TNA at the time was aired on Destination America to a very minimal audience with ice fishing as its lead-in programming. I explained that unless Mark Cuban wanted to start a pro wrestling promotion, the dynamics of the industry weren't going to change from the dominate market share that WWE obtained, even with its stagnant product. If the causal fan was going to watch wrestling, they were going to watch WWE.

I had the right concept, just the wrong billionaire.

As we know, Tony Khan is from a billionaire family so they had the capital and the connections in the television industry through the various sports franchises they own to launch a pro wrestling group. Granted, Tony's only qualifications to run a pro wrestling company are that he was a big fan during his youth and is from a family that has the disposable income to fund the concept, but the fact remained that it was probably the best chance that the industry had at a true alternative since WCW folded two decades earlier. There was a list of alphabet soup organizations that tried to get off the ground on a national level, or promoters that had delusions of grandeur that proved just how difficult it was to truly yield success in the wrestling business. At least Herb Abrams got to pose with the UWF championship belt.

Tony Khan, a longtime subscriber to The Wrestling Observer newsletter, and amateur booker for E-feds on the internet before he became an actual promoter, wanted to start All Elite Wrestling as a passion project. That's commendable, considering that Tony doesn't need AEW to obtain personal financial security, and quite frankly, it would be a lot easier for him to buy an island to drink ice tea while sitting on the beach than to take the stressful job as the owner of a sports entertainment group.

That said, there's a very fine line between a passion project and a vanity project. Plus, the bottom line counts, even for a billionaire.

That's why Brandon Thurston's Wrestlenomics report about this year's AEW financials tells the complex story of the company in 2023. Let's keep in mind, revenue and profit are the true barometers of success, not star ratings. Dave Meltzer could give a match 108 stars, but if nobody was willing to pay to see it then it was a flop from a business perspective. Hence, the delicate balance of the art form and the business side of the sport.

Remember, All Elite Wrestling is a privately-owned company so these are only estimates from Thurston, but he's generally considered an accurate source for the numbers he reports for the sport. The numbers that matter most are the revenue, which he claimed was $154 million, and the expenses that he calculated to be $188 million, putting the company $34 million in the red for the year. On the surface, that's a major negative for the organization, and it's certainly not great news, but there are layers to this story. The net revenue of $154 million was an increase from $100 million last year so that was a 30%  increase of the money that the company was able to generate. When you consider that with the CM Punk drama, the fact that trying to sell the twice the amount of tickets with the addition of Collision to the weekly line-up was a struggle, and that the ratings have been rather stagnant, a 30% increase in revenue is still an accomplishment.

Thurston added that All Elite made $67 million from their television contract with Warner Brothers Discovery, a deal that they're hoping to get an increase for next year, and $19 million garnered from pay-per-view after the various distribution organizations get their piece of the pie. Thurston went in-depth on smaller amounts of cash that are made from the TV distribution in different countries, but those amounts are rather moot in the grand scheme of things. He also reported a break down of arena and production costs of specific events, but all of that was included in the $188 million that was mentioned earlier for the expenses of the company.

Wrestlenomics also reported that a staggering $85 million was contract money to sign wrestlers to the AEW roster. Granted, you have to have major league talent to compete on a national level, and from an individual perspective, pro wrestlers should try to get the best deal they can, especially because as independent contractors, there's no retirement fund when they hang up their boots. At the same time, the amount of wrestlers that Tony Khan signs is almost comical, and just because a performer has the talent to land a major contract, it doesn't automatically mean that Tony should offer them a deal. The reason being, there are only so many spots realistically available at any given time so not everyone can get an All Elite offer, but that's why there are different organizations that provide options for the talent. If there isn't a spot for a certain talent in 2023, maybe they can work for New Japan for a few years and then when there's a better opportunity for them, they can eventually debut for AEW. What's the point of signing a talented performer to a contract if there isn't a spot for them? There are a lot of wrestlers that are getting paid to sit at home or hang out in catering backstage. It's not necessarily fair to the talent either if they are stuck in a spot with little to no exposure for some of the prime years of their career if they could have a better chance to be showcased elsewhere.

This is where the fact that money is no object for Tony Khan becomes a major problem. It doesn't matter if he signs ten more wrestlers to contracts so they can work in the obscurity of the Ring Of Honor brand because his family has billions of dollars, but it can create a domino effect that might make even Shaq Khan consider the chances of long-term success for AEW. In a similar fashion, the company reportedly put a lot of money into the development of the Fight Forever video game that was delayed several times before it was actually released. The game wasn't the major success that the organization hoped it would be so that should be a lesson in making wiser investments in the future.

Listen, a company losing $34 million, particularly after four years in business isn't a good news and those that might try to spin it as such are just trying to push an agenda. However, when you take into account that the company had a 30% boost in revenue is the other side of the coin that proves that the losses of 2023 aren't an indication that the company will fold. The increase in overall revenue for a year that saw sluggish ratings and a decline in ticket sales proves that the company can still generate significant revenue. The question is, will the company be smart enough to manage its expenses to allow for an eventual profit?

It might sound trivial, but something as simple as running smaller arenas would be a huge benefit across the board. If they can only sell a few thousand tickets in certain markets for a television taping than scheduling a mostly full 5,000 seat building is better than booking a mostly empty 12,000 seat venue. The biggest takeaway from all of this is that 2024 is probably a key year in terms of the overall projections for where All Elite Wrestling can go in the future. If there's another $30 million in losses next year then that would tell a very different story compared to a situation that would see another substantially increase in revenue in 2024.

Make no mistake about it, All Elite Wrestling will continue to exist as long as The Khan family wants to fund it, but if it will be more than just a vanity project will probably be determined from the path the company takes next year so there are definitely some key decisions that have to be made, including their next TV deal, for the organization.

UFC 296

The fight business is still the entertainment business, and sometimes the entertainment business can be a dirty business if there are dollars on the line. The UFC, through its lucrative ESPN deal, is assured a guaranteed amount of cash for the events it produces, mostly for the ESPN+ streaming service, but there's still the pressure to deliver the buy rates since the value of the next TV contract could be impacted by the drawing power of the brand. The hefty $80 price tag for monthly UFC pay-per-views can make it a tough sell, particularly around the holidays and even more so with the uncertainty of the current economy. Traditionally, the organization hosts a signature card at the end of the year, but a slew of injuries, including to current heavyweight champion, Jon Jones depleted a portion of the star power that the company can use to market those previously mentioned $80 PPV events. Jones, who was shoehorned into the heavyweight title picture without fighting in the weight class before he was granted a title shot after Francis Ngannou vacated the championship following a contract dispute, was originally scheduled to defend his belt against former heavyweight kingpin, Stipe Miocic. However, Jones suffered a torn pec in training and required surgery, sidelining him for several months so their scheduled main event last month was canceled.

Taking into account Stipe's dangerous punching power, and the relatively short tenure of Jones in the division, this was considered "Bones" Jones' toughest test at heavyweight. When the pec injury derailed those plans, Alex Pereira vs. Jiří Procházka for the light heavyweight championship that Jamahal Hill was forced to vacated because of an injury took the main event spot. UFC 295 delivered great action and an entertaining night of fights, but that's only one side of the equation, as it lacked a selling point for the casual fan.

With Conor McGregor's status still undetermined, especially after he failed to enter the USADA testing pool to be eligible to fight Michael Chandler following their stint as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter reality show, and the exit of Ngannou because of the previously mentioned contract disagreement, Jon Jones is the biggest star the company has on the roster. When "Bones" Jones was put on the shelf, UFC brass needed a big draw for its usual event at the end of the year.

Mixed martial arts is a competitive sport, but make no mistake about it, the UFC became an established entity among the American sports landscape because they used a collection of pro wrestling tactics to market the product. Yesterday's pre-fight press conference was no different. There are heroes and villains in real life so it's much easier for the casual fan to invest into entertainment, regardless of the form it takes, when the narrative reflects that.

In a rather ham-handed attempt to draw from the lowest common denominator, Colby Covington, the brash and controversial interim welterweight champion, was granted a title shot against Leon Edwards for the main event at UFC 296. Edwards is on an impressive winning streaking, including a pair of wins against former 170 LBS champion, Kamaru Usman in his last two fights to win and defend the title respectively. Edwards' most recent bout was the majority decision he won against Usman earlier this year. On the flip side, Colby was knocked out by Usman in their original bout before he lost a unanimous decision to Usman in the rematch, putting him at 2-2 in his last four bouts. In his last octagon appearence, Covington beat the one-dimensional Jorge Masvidal with a lackluster decision on the score cards when Masvidal simply couldn't defend the take downs. Colby has one victory since he lost to Usman and that win over the previously mentioned Masvidal was more than a year and a half ago.

Has Covington done enough with one win in March of 2022 to justify a title shot? I don't think so, but it's important to remember that the fight business is still the entertainment business.

As we know, Colby brands himself as the MAGA fighter and along with that gets the support of Donald Trump's fan base. Who knows how much of it is an act to talk himself further up the card than he would be otherwise, but it's a smart strategy for Covington. He's a great wrestler, and if an opponent can't defend the take down then he can grind out a decision on the score cards. If his opponents can stop the take down attempts, as Usman did in their two contests, Colby is exposed as a rather one-dimensional fighter with limited striking ability. Usman broke Covington's jaw in their initial fight before the ref stopped the contest.

This could all be a facade to get the biggest payday possible, but Colby, who visited the White House when he was the interim champion, caters to the MAGA audience. That gives him a built-in fan case, and at the same time, those that don't agree with Trump are willing to pay to see him lose. Keep in mind, it doesn't matter if the fans pay to see a fighter win or pay to see a fighter lose, as long as they are paying to see them. The political association is automatically going to bring that dynamic into the fight, and as know from the way that both political parties shamelessly advertise fundraisers every few years, politics generates money. There are books, speaking tours, and podcasts from a slew of political figures even if they don't win office that people are willing to pay for so it's relatively easy money to jump on the political band wagon on either side of it. Plus, there are morons actually paying $500 for a George Santos cameo, but we won't discuss that.

However, you have to wonder if there's a point where it jumps the shark and becomes too much trash TV and thus it actually sours fans on the event?

At the press conference, Colby, clad in a George Washington outfit and a MAGA hat, made a disparaging remark about Edwards' deceased father. Aside from the fact that Covington looks like a clown more than an athlete, the comment went too far and shouldn't be tolerated by the UFC. Yes, it's the fight business, but the company has a conduct policy. Still, it will be chalked up to promotional hype because the almighty dollar is most important in the fight game. In my view, it's not that I want to watch the fight to see Covington lose, but rather that his comments were so disgusting that I don't care to see him fight at all. Assuming Edwards can avoid being too emotional, he should be able to defeat Covington, similar to the way that Usman beat Colby, but at the same time, the take down can be very effective from Covington if the fight goes into the later rounds.

If I had to pick winner, I think Leon Edwards will get the win, but that's more of a guess than anything. However, the biggest takeaway from this more than who wins the Welterweight championship is that this sets a new low for what will be used to sell UFC pay-per-views.

What's next for Raw?

The pro wrestling rumor mill continues to swirl. Nick Hausman, who is known as the reporter that sent CM Punk on a tirade at the infamous All Out press conference last year, made claims about a potential Warner Brothers Discovery deal for Raw that caused quite the stir online. As we know, Raw is the only television property under the Endeavor banner that doesn't have a new TV deal in place when the current contract expires in late-2024. Smackdown, the blue brand that spent the past few years on Fox, will shift back to USA so NBC Universal is still in the sports entertainment game, which makes it possible that the corporation might also eventually land a deal to retain Raw since the Monday night franchise is a staple of the USA network. NXT will make the move from USA to the CW in early-2024.

We also know that Warner Discovery currently airs All Elite Wrestling programming, with that deal scheduled to expire last next year. If WB is in talks with WWE brass about bringing the Raw brand to the Turner networks, where does that put AEW in the industry?

First, I have to say that I seriously doubt that anything will develop from the supposed conversations between WWE and Discovery, if they happened at all. Nick Hausman recently launched his own wrestling news site and I wouldn't go as far as to call this story pure clickbait, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if he heard a vague reference to Raw being shopped to networks and then embellished the narrative to get website traffic. It's important to remember that dirt sheet writers, with the exception of The Wrestling Observer, Mike Johnson's PWInsider, and The Torch, basically pick up crumbles from the three previously mentioned resources. Again, I don't think Hausman was being dishonest, but rather exaggerating the narrative, which isn't too surprising when the "reporting" is based on a business that intrinsically tries to build as much drama as possible to generate interest in the product. The addition that CM Punk might've opened the door for talks between the two sides is laughable. The guy is back two weeks and suddenly he's an intermediate for business discussions? The vague implication would be that Punk is attempting to get AEW tossed from the Discovery networks because Tony Khan fired him. It shows how silly some "reporting" can be around an industry that originated on the carnival circuit.

That being said, it shouldn't shock anyone if there was an eventual meeting between the two sides, not because of some sinister plan by CM Punk, but rather it's within TKO's interest to meet with as many potential TV partners as possible to gauge the amount of money the market will offer them for the Raw brand. Within the modern era, there are countless media distribution options and thus big money to go along with it. As I've detailed before, with an increase in media distribution, there becomes the task of advertisers getting their products in front of the right demographic to avoid being lost in the shuffle of the almost constant sales pitches that are involved in advertisement. Consumers get bombarded with ads for products or services almost everywhere they go so sponsors want to make a targeted effort to get their products in front of an audience that will be potential customers that will spend money on them. Obviously, networks and advertisers work toward common goals. The networks want the ad dollars and the advertisers want to translate that investment into the sale of products. The content on the network, in this case WWE Raw, gives the viewers a reason to tune into the channel in the first place.

It goes without say that there are a lot of moving parts and different perspectives to this situation.

Essentially, this goes beyond any specific aspect of pro wrestling. This is major business on a main stream scale with hundreds of millions of dollars invested. The executives at USA or Amazon Prime don't care if Seth Rollins wanted to really fight CM Punk or if it was just a work, (we know it was) but rather if a steady and consistent audience will tune into the shows so that the channel can use that to sell commercials to the previously mentioned advertisers.

As for where Raw ends up, I think anything mentioned about it is pure speculation. It's very possible that it might remain on USA, but again, it makes sense for WWE management to at least test the market to see what type of numbers other networks would be willing to pay, but that doesn't automatically mean that USA is off the table, especially when the channel will have Smackdown in 2024. Speaking of Smackdown, since the Fox network reportedly lost money on the massive deal it signed with WWE in 2019, it will be interesting to see if that scenario has an effect on the negotiations for Raw. The pandemic and the lack of live crowds for a portion of the contract didn't help, but the bottom line is, the blue brand wasn't as successful for Fox as the channel thought it would be so other networks might take a cautious approach to negotiations. Another outside factor is how the climate of the TV industry evolves and if that's beneficial to networks or not. For example, a few years ago, there was speculation that streaming was going to lead to the end of traditional television, but as the market was flooded with streaming options as more organizations wanted a piece of the pie, the argument could be made that it become oversaturated so the cost of the collective streaming choices became almost as expensive as some cable packages. As a result, the streaming market condensed somewhat in recent years and there are a few main platforms that have a portion of the media market.

I mentioned Amazon Prime earlier and while the major retailer has enough cash to land Raw for it's streaming platform, I sincerely hope that's not where the show ends up. It might sound cliche, but the easiest way to watch something is still to scroll through the listings of a cable package. By nature, pro wrestling is discovered by flipping through the channels so I'm not sure if another barrier to entry so to speak is a way to build the audience in the future.

Keep in mind, the rumors of WBD and a Raw deal are probably cannon fodder, but just for the sake of discussion, if a WWE property would land on the Turner networks, I don't think that necessarily means that All Elite Wrestling would have to find a new TV home. Yes, in the past the WWE almost always stayed within its own bubble and rarely worked with other organizations on anything. The lucha libre deal that led to the short-lived Super Astros show in the late-90s was a rare exception to the rule. However, the company is quite literally not Vince McMahon's WWE. The Endeavor group is there to make the cash, they aren't under the obligation of any of the old wrestling tropes. TKO will attempt to maximize its value for its stockholders, and if WBD would make the best offer for Raw, those executives aren't going to turn it down just because another wrestling show is on one of the numerous channels under the Turner umbrella. Again, I doubt Raw lands on Discovery because of the other franchises that Turner will look to secure for the channels, including the NBA, but it's not impossible that WWE and AEW could be on different Turner channels. If anything, that would allow Discovery to corner a major portion of the sports entertainment market, and in some ways even further solidify the WWE as the top sports entertainment organization.

The biggest takeaway from this speculation isn't a deal between Discovery and WWE, but rather the possibilities that are on the table with TKO, not Vince McMahon, making the decisions on the direction of the company from a corporate perspective. It was just announced that TNA will have a streaming deal with Endeavor, which is a collaboration that probably wouldn't of happened if Vince McMahon retained power in the organization. Yes, Mickie James was involved in the Royal Rumble when she was the KO champion, but that was more to make things right with her after she was disrespected when her gear was sent to her in a trash bag following her WWE release. Endeavor knows that TNA isn't a threat to WWE in any way, shape, or form. But, the TNA library has several hours of footage of some of the WWE's biggest stars so they negotiate a deal that will allow TNA increased exposure and Endeavor will make some cash from it so it's a win-win for everyone involved. In some ways, the WWE is in completely new territory because of the amount of media muscle that TKO has with the association of the UFC. The potential networks that are considered for Raw will get the show that has consistent and steady, albeit somewhat sluggish ratings and could possibly get their network mentioned on major UFC fight cards to promote the WWE events. As the situation unfolds, it really demonstrate how major and how much of an impact the WWE/UFC merger had on the sports entertainment industry.

The career of George Ross

There are countless motivational memes that you will find on the internet or as you scroll through social media. Many say "keep grinding" or "put in the work." The irony is that most of the those that post or share such things online only do so without ever getting off the couch to pursue those goals.

George Ross, Pittsburgh-based pro wrestling referee, isn't one of those people. In fact, when I caught up with George just prior to the end of last year, he was on a four-day loop of events that saw him work cards in Michigan, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and West Virginia. His car, often with gas station coffee mugs strewn around the passenger seat, and a portable steamer to use on the apron at shows in the back seat, has over 200,000 miles on it, most of those accumulated when he spends a few hundred miles on the road each weekend to pursue the biggest opportunities possible in an effort to make it to the next level.

However, George's dreams of pro wrestling glory started much closer to home, as did his eventual journey into the sport. Like so many, the youngster that would eventually wear the stripes into the ring, became glued to the action through his television screen in his elementary school years. The visuals of The Undertaker putting opponents into body bags in the WWF, as well as the over-the-top battle between Hulk Hogan and The Dungeon of Doom in WCW left an impression on him.

"Just the awe and the spectacle of all of it," George explained of what hooked him on sports entertainment, as he stood next to a gas pump, refueling his vehicle on a chilly afternoon before he officiated bouts in McMechen, West Virginia.

Similar to many that find a role within the sport where they excel, George's initial intention wasn't actually to be a referee. He attended a slew of local events in Western, Pennsylvania, an area known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced. Brandon K, a veteran of the scene for more than 25 years and one of the most respected figured in the area, launched his Ryse Wrestling organization, along with a training center, in 2016. By the time George pursued the school in 2018, Brandon saw the natural poise that Ross had inside the ring, and knowing that a solid official was the glue of the match, the longtime veteran made the suggestion that Ross put on the referee stripes.

"When I began training, I actually had ambitions to be a heel manager. But, a few months into the process, Brandon K brought up the possibility of making me a referee for an indefinite basis on the Ryse shows. I ended up taking some initiative and went out to Dunham's and bought a ref shirt. I ended up reffing a show in McKeesport a few weeks later for Fight Society, and I ended up liking it so much that I just stuck with it," George commented.

Without the original intention of doing so, George quickly became one of the most consistent and quality officials in the Pittsburgh scene. He found his place to excel in the business, and it was in the role of the three counts that signaled victory for competitors. The ability to know where to be and when to be there are key to an official's job, which is something that felt natural for Ross when he was the third participant in a segment.

"When you start reffing, the most common piece of advice you hear after you did a great job usually sounds something like. 'I hardly noticed you were there.' I'd argue that is what makes a good referee. Ideally, a good referee stays out of the way of the in-ring action, but knows the precise moment when they should be seen to accentuate a match's big moments," Ross remarked.

Within just a few years of his involvement in the sport, George began traveling to any card he could find work for and networking just for the chance to show his ability to add an extra level of drama to bouts when the time called for it. However, how the Pittsburgh-based official landed a spot as a staple of mid-west cards fits into the "only in pro wrestling" category.

"It actually came out of a personal quest to referee a match with Nick Gage. It was about a year or so following the incident with David Arquette, and I developed a morbid curiosity with deathmatch wrestling. I ended up hearing about Horror Slam Wrestling at an advertised all-hardcore bar show in Akron I reffed where their Deathmatch Title was defended. A few weeks later, I ended up contacting the promoter with an interest in a tryout to try and get a deathmatch down the line to scratch the itch I had. Eventually, I branched out to other, non-deathmatch promotions to extend my weekends and make the trips more worthwhile," George said.

After the organizations around the Motor City saw how prepared and how professional Ross was an as official, he landed steady work there, often couch-surfing between events to get some sleep before the next day's show. Those from the Michigan circuit offered him those accommodations because those within the industry know how valuable the role of a referee can be, and being scheduled for multiple events within a weekend allowed George to realistically make the trips. But, he cities timing as just as important to his Michigan gigs.

"The timing of this worked out greatly in my favor because the Michigan area suddenly had a lot of the more reputable referees retire, move away, etc. A lot of booking vacancies that hadn't existed previously all of a sudden became available," George commented.

Within just the past few years, he shared the ring with countless national names, including Rhino, Sabu, and others. His regular trips to the midwest for those opportunities would test the dedication of many in the industry, but George doesn't flinch at a ten-hour round trip if it gave him a chance to hone his craft around some of the bright minds of the business.

Still, home means a lot to George and he was particularly excited when he had the chance to be a part of 880 Wrestling, an upstart project launched by independent standout MV Young in New Kensington, PA. The DIY concept of 880 brings together a training academy, and with the help of Sorgatron media, a production group based in Beechview, live cards every Thursday that stream online. The same students that step into a wrestling ring for the first time under the 880 banner to learn the sport eventually get to showoff their skills on the live events. George was just blocks away from the location and had a sense of pride when he became involved with the project as a way to make the sport that he loved an institution in his hometown.

"I love what we are doing at 880 Wrestling. The second I heard that MV Young was going to be opening a school that was literally blocks away from where I grew up and where my family had operated two different businesses in downtown New Kensington in the late 1990s, I knew I wanted to be involved. My role at 880 Wrestling is whatever is required. Some days I get to be a coach of sorts and share knowledge with our students. Other nights, I'll help book the weekly card for Thursday Night Fights or agent matches if the need arises. And other times, I'll even work the door for our big monthly shows or help set up and tear down the ring to get ready for Enjoy Wrestling events. Bringing wrestling to my hometown in any fashion was gonna be special to me, but it's been made even more special with the group of people we've assembled since T2T Pittsburgh opened last July. We've established our own little niche in the Pittsburgh market, and I'm excited to see what we can become in 2024 and going forward," Ross explained.

Just recently, all the monotonous miles on the road, the late-night gas station food, and the lack of sleep on a Monday morning after an exhausting weekend of wrestling events paid off for George. Knowing of capable and trusted he is a a referee, at an event two weeks ago, he was assigned the officiating duties for a match between two Michigan natives on their home turf, X-Division pioneer, Chris Sabin defended the TNA X-Division title against standout star, Jason Hotch As George stood in the ring, displaying the belts, he was reminded of his ultimate goal in the industry, a goal that seemed like a pipe dream just a few years ago, to land a national contract as a referee.

While they are no guarantees in the pro wrestling business, it doesn't sound like such a pipe dream now because of the time, effort, and dedication that George put into his craft. Big goals can be accomplished if those that want to achieve them "put in the work" as the memes say. George Ross certainly puts in the work for professional wrestling to be successful.

"At the end of the day, I want to continue the tradition of great referees that come out of the Pittsburgh area. Guys like Mark Curtis, Shawn Patrick, Bobby Williams and Joe Mandak among so many others. Where I'll end up when I'm done is anybody's best guess right now, but I'll keep making towns and see where it goes," Ross concluded.

Is Tony Khan under the mask?

Tony Khan, by all accounts, is a nice guy. In fact, in a business with an extensive history of most promoters as shady con men that wanted first count of the box office ahead of the performers that bled for that night's draw, Tony is an exception to that rule. Don Owen, Sam Muchnick, and a few others were also well-respected promoters from a previous generation. But, generally speaking, the promoters and the talent were always more or less at odds over paydays in some form or fashion.

Perhaps, the fact that money is no object for Khan because he's from a billionaire family, is why he seems to be more than accommodating with the talent. It might be cringe worthy to see him hug his entire roster at the exhausting post-PPV press conferences, but you can tell the guy genuinely cares about the talent that opted to sign a contract with his organization. On a few occasions, injuries happened and Khan kept those performers on the payroll.

Again, Khan doesn't need All Elite Wrestling for financial security so he appears to have a much more casual approach to how he runs it, and there are both negatives and positives to that. At the very least, as I've written on several occasions, Tony's willingness to fund a pro wrestling project in an attempt to spark the industry is commendable, even if it renders the organization a national vanity project. His fandom motivated him to give the fans and the wrestlers an alternative, which he deserves credit for.

But, is Tony Khan the devil?

No, this isn't some weird accusation from pro-WWE fans online or a Wendy's-fueled rant from legendary manager, Jim Cornette. As we get closer to the Worlds End pay-per-view at the end of the month in MJF's hometown of Long Island, New York, it looks like the direction of All Elite television is finally building to the reveal of who is under the devil mask as the leader of the mysterious faction that continues to have more of a presence on the shows in recent weeks. For those that might've seen my column prior to the Full Gear pay-per-view, I mentioned that the show, particular after the already crowded PPV schedule this year, lacked a major selling point outside of the reveal of who was under the devil mask. I explained that the success of the event, in terms of if it would justify the $50 price tag, would probably be determined by who was underneath the mask. As we know, there was no reveal, and the overall booking of the show, including the tedious main event where Jay White worked over MJF's previously injured leg for almost thirty minutes, was rather forgettable. The Full Gear show might be remembered for the gory Swerve/Adam Page Texas Deathmatch, but that might not be a good thing, depending on your perspective.

Within recent weeks, there was speculation about who was under the mask during television appearances and who the stablemates are in the outfits in the ring. A few weeks ago, I penned an article about the speculation that Jack Perry might be the devil, based on fan speculation online that the laugh during a promo segment sounded similar to Perry. There was definitely a similarity, but I detailed why a Jack Perry reveal would flop like The Black Scorpion did in WCW a few decades ago. It was thought that based on boots worn by one of the masked men that Wardlow could be involved in the faction, which is possible given his history with MJF, but that doesn't mean that he would be the leader since Wardlow isn't in a position to have enough star power to be a credible reveal as the one under the devil mask.

I must say that I really think they've stretched the reveal of who is under the mask too long because the longer the build up, the bigger the expectations are for the surprise of who will be used in the leader role. Granted, it's good to keep fans guessing, especially in the modern era, and it makes sense to use different performers under the outfits to avoid too many clues being discovered, but at the same time, there must be a payoff that justifies the hype behind it.

At this point, I don't think there's a realistic option for the reveal that would live up to the hype around it. Sure, they could go with MJF to explain that he was who he said he was all along, but as I wrote before, that would almost be too obvious so it'd probably be a letdown. Granted, I still think that the entire MJF/Adam Cole angle is silly and actually hindered more than helped both of them. There are a slew of recently released WWE stars that will be on the free agent market after their 90-day non-compete clauses expire, but there wouldn't be a logical reason that they would be under the mask. Using a recently released WWE talent for that role might get the artificial debut pop, but there would be no substance for the payoff.

It would be as cringe worthy as the countless hugs at the press conference, but I think it's at least possible, and would make sense, if Tony Khan is the person under the devil mask. First and more importantly than any storyline logic, it's obvious that Tony wants to recreate his favorite wrestling moments in AEW. There's a reason he made a reference to Shane McMahon when he announced that he bought Ring Of Honor, because he wanted to attempt to make it comparable to when WCW was purchased. He touted Sting being back on the Turner networks, and even hired the Tony Schiavone after the former WCW broadcast had been away from the industry for almost twenty years. Don't get me wrong, Schiavone probably should've had a job somewhere in the post-WCW era, but he was hired by Khan because he was an announcer on Nitro. Ric Flair was signed so that he could recreate a Nitro moment with Sting in an AEW ring.

The heel owner, as cliche and recycled as it is, was a staple of the wrestling boom of the 90s. I don't think it'd be too much of an assumption that Tony would at least consider the chance to play a role similar to Vince McMahon or Eric Bischoff during the Monday night wars. The next step from playing wrestling promoter would be playing an on-screen character on the wrestling show. That being said, it would probably be a complete disaster, as Tony doesn't have the experience to be a character for a national organization. Obviously, his fandom is great and it's good to hype the crowd for a live event, but on-camera stuff is a different experience level. Again, Tony qualifications for running AEW were that he was a big fan and his family has billions of dollars. He doesn't have the experience of cutting promos on live television to be used in a major angle. But, Tony is the boss and if he wants a main role on the television show, it's one of the perks of the job.

It remains to be seen if it will happen, but it actually would be a logical reveal. Keep in mind, Maxwell Jacobs Friedman reportedly threatened to no-show the Double or Nothing pay-per-view last year unless he was given a better contract. He no-showed an autograph signing before he put Wardlow over in the opening match at the PPV. However, the story was about Friedman's contract dispute, not Wardlow, and thus Wardlow has floundered since that time. Aside from a profanity-laced promo on an episode of Dynamite, MJF disappeared from All Elite programming for a few months until he was originally revealed underneath the devil mask when he won a ladder match to get a shot at the world championship. As we know, Friedman won the title and still has it based on that series of events so Tony Khan getting revenge for the problems that MJF caused would make sense.

It would get heat, mostly because the even the most diehard All Elite fans would have to admit that it would be a vanity project decision, but heat is heat, and at this point, the company needs something to generate some hype. It will be interesting to see who is actually revealed to be under the mask and if it justifies the hype because depending on if it does, it could have a major affect on the momentum of the company next year.