What's the status of John Cena?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

For as much as it's said, and rightfully so, that the professional wrestling business evolves, the fundamentals and the foundation of the genre remain. Regardless of how it's packaged and presented, the basic premise and concepts are still there, because that's what allows sports entertainment to continue throughout the decades. Sure, there are peaks and valleys within any business venture, new Coke flopped, but Coca Cola Classic is still the top soft drink in the world for a reason. The same applies to why professional wrestling has never just disappeared, despite when it fades from tends or pop culture. You often hear the term "wrestling psychology" as far as how the booking of an angle or match is designed to draw an audience, which is the entire point of the business.

The reason wrestling psychology continues to work is because it's simply based on human psychology, which is why the fans can identify and connect with the characters. They are baby faces and heels in real life the same way there are heroes and villains in the ring. Ukraine might be the underdog with the odds stacked against them, but they refuse to tap out to Putin. The Patriots had spy game and deflate gate to tilt the odds in their favor the same way that a heel goes for the foreign object or pulls the trunks to get the advantage for the victory.

Of course, as the presentation of the sport evolves, so do some of the narratives.

Last weekend, when everyone thought that John Cena, the real-life super hero, that never strayed away from his responsibilities as a true champion and inspired hope for others, was going to retire as baby face that never compromised his values, he "sold out" to the final boss, The Rock. 

Naturally, this has drawn comparisons to when Hulk Hogan turned heel, joining The Outsiders to form the New World Order nearly thirty years ago. Some have speculated that perhaps Cena turning his back on the fans was more shocking than even when the Hulkster became a heel?

Ironically, about two decades after starting the NWO, the world found out just how much of an actual villain Hulk Hogan is.

It goes without saying that it depends on your perspective, the videos of the youngsters nearly in tears on social media because Cena stabbed Cody in the back didn't see the Hogan switch in real time so that will skew the view point. In some ways, trying to make a comparison is apples to oranges because it's a completely different era with how exposed the business is today, and the access to the stars through social media. However, as discussed earlier, the building blocks remain the same so there's still some level of comparison to be made.

First, the circumstances of each heel turn should be taken into consideration, as it could impact how each was viewed by the audience at the time. It's important to remember that by mid-1996, Hulkamania was still running wild in WCW, but had done so for more than a decade. The audience soured on Hogan because his message of say you prayers and take your vitamins was tacky by the mid-90s, particularly since society had started to embrace an edgier culture in the latter portion of the decade. The Hulkster was stale and the fans grew tired of his cliche routine of running through an endless goon squad in the Turner organization.

Make no mistake about it, Hulk Hogan turned heel in an effort to rejuvenate his career, as the crowd had already started booing him out of the building the year prior.

On the flip side, the John Cena heel turn was done to jolt the fan base and flip the script to add an unpredictable dynamic to his final run before he hangs up his boots. Given the nature of his tenure of never compromising his responsibilities as a role model, even those that jeered him at his peak, can appreciate his work ethic in retrospect, which is why the audience would've been completely content for him to retire without heel turn requested for so many years. To use a cringe worthy, but modern term to sum it up, the fans can recognize everything he did for the industry and how he went above and beyond the call of duty as a role model so the final year was a chance for the wrestling world to "give him his flowers" so to speak.

Sure, some will cite that Cena was booed relentlessly by the older fans during his heyday, and they are correct, but there's a stark difference between the Cena hostility of his era compared to the rejection of Hulk Hogan prior to the NWO. John Cena was a polarizing character, but not rejected by the audience. The bottom line is, regardless of if the fans paid to see Cena win or paid to see him lose, they paid to see him, which is the entire point of the business. There's a reason that The Rock/John Cena bouts at Wrestlemania set the traditional WWE pay-per-view record before the switch to the streaming business model.

As far as if the Cena turn was more or less shocking than when Hulk made the switch, I think the fact that Hogan turned for a new chapter in his career, whereas Cena became a heel to cover some new ground before he retires, and could potentially maximizes the business the final run does is a factor in the discussion. By definition, we won't know how the Cena heel run will evolve over time or the amount of mileage that the company could truly garner from it since this stint is only designed to get him to his last match, not a new portion of his career. So, we don't know if he could make a comeback as a baby face to be as popular as he was before. Was this heel turn so unforgivable that the fans wouldn't fully embrace Cena again?

On the other end of the spectrum, we know that Hulk's turn in the short term was a major boost in business for WCW, and in some respects, revolutionized the presentation of the industry, as it completely changed the conventional approach to the business. At the same time, we know that the "don't work for me, brother" was one of the major reasons that WCW collapsed because Hulk simply wasn't going to allow a baby face to truly conquer the top spot in the organization, which is another reason that despite a fresh presentation, the fundamentals mentioned earlier still apply.

However, after the stain of the failure of WCW faded away, the fans still wanted a chance to see the red and yellow one more time, which is why Hulk had a successful run as undisputed champion in 2002. The fact that he refused to put Shawn Micheals over in 2005 or Randy Orton the following year when he was promoting his reality show speaks volumes to his lack of perspective, as well as his ridiculous ego.

The fans wanted to see Hulk Hogan as a baby face again until they heard Terry Bollea turn heel in real life with several disgusting racial slurs several years ago, which has tainted his legacy even today.

That being said, in terms of scripted heel turns, as much as fans are rightfully caught up in the shock of the moment of John Cena as a villain, I still have to say Hulk Hogan as a heel was the more shocking moment when put into a comparable context. That's not to say that Hulk's performance was exponentially better when he dropped the leg on Macho Man to join the Outsiders, or that Cena's switch to a villain was lesser when he hit Cody with a low blow at the conclusion of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. Instead, it's simply a matter of the precedent that was set prior to the pay-per-view last week. When Hulk made the switch in 1996, nobody thought it was even remotely possible that Hulk would be another other than the all-American baby face since that was the foundation of the WWF's national expansion more than a decade earlier.

With the John Cena heel turn, by nature it can't be quite as shocking because the premise of a top baby face becoming a "bad guy" isn't nearly as unheard of as it was in a previous generation. The fans have seen Hogan and even Stone Cold Steve Austin turn heel so while shocking, a heel Cena before wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility.

It's a different aspect of the scenario, but it should be noted that I think the payoff of the heel turn of John Cena will be exponentially more beneficial in the grand scheme of things that what the Hogan turn brought to the table. Ironically, as much as The Hulkster as a "bad guy" boosted WCW business for a few years, the unwillingness of Hogan to allow another performer to truly take the top spot in the company is ultimately one of the many reasons that the company folded. As I wrote in the article last week about the finish to the pay-per-view, as much as Cody was putting in the work to be able to be successful in the "John Cena" spot, in terms of being a representative for the company, nobody was truly going to be able to ascend to that position in Cena was still in the spot so this heel turn can quite literally allow Cody to take the place as the top guy in the company.

Elimination Chamber review

The next major piece of the puzzle was put in place ahead of Wrestlemania and one of the most memorable moments in the history of the business took place in the process. Usually, when something that becomes etched in the minds of fans happens, it will naturally take a while for the segment to gain its true perspective in hindsight, but given the evolution of the industry and thus the previous examples that can be cited for their eventually ripple effect, there are rare occasions when you know you're watching something historic in real time.

The conclusion of the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was one of those moments and it undoubtedly starts a level of anticipation for the biggest event of the year.

The show, which drew nearly 40,000 fans in Toronto, opened with the women's chamber match, and while these type of gimmick contests tend to be a little disjointed by nature, this segment was well done with solid action throughout it. Jade Cargill made her surprise return, attacking Naomi and taking her out of the match before it could get started, implying that Naomi was the one behind the backstage assault that wrote Jade out of the show for a few months. Considering that Bianca Belair went on to win the match, which would slot her against Rhea Ripley for Wrestlemania, I'd guess that they will be some type of revelation that Bianca was actually the one behind the attack on Cargill. I could be wrong, but I just can't see management slating a baby face vs. baby face match for a championship at this year's Wrestlemania. Assuming there is a Belair heel turn in the works, if she beats Ripley for the belt, there's a built in storyline for Jade to chase the title as a way to get revenge for the attack that put her on the sidelines.

The Trish Stratus and Tiffany Stratton vs. Nia Jax and Candice LeRae match was fine for what it was, but there's not much to say about it. It was a basic 10-minute tag match that gave the hometown baby face a victory so it was mission accomplished.

Prior to the pay-per-view, I wondered why the office wanted to pick up another chapter of Sami Zayn/Kevin Owens, not because of a lack of quality, their matches have always been solid, but rather that it was a retread of something that the audience has already seen several times before. However, it became clear during the course of the segment that this match wasn't being used as a way to spring board a new chapter, but rather as a payoff of sorts to their history as rivals to set up for the bigger stage of Wrestlemania with something fresh. Bringing the lights down was a unique presentation to emphasize the unsanctioned gimmick, and between the table bumps and the barbed wire spots, these two delivered a contest that justified a payoff bout. These two are simply high quality performers that make the most of the opportunity that they've given, and this segment was an example of it. The action, the selling, and the psychology were great stuff that allowed for a very entertaining contest.

 After Owens got the victory, Randy Orton, who KO put on the shelf with the pile driver several months ago, returned to make the save for Zayn. By all indications, this will be the plan for Owens' match at Wrestlemania, which makes sense since the office always has a prime spot for Orton on the card.

The men's Elimination Chamber was set to be the main event, with the implication that The Rock/Cody Rhodes confrontation would be afterwards since it hadn't taken place yet. This match, regardless of the gimmick, was exactly why the WWE is so good at their specific playbook, as this segment had all the ingredients of a stellar match without any of the high spots or risky bumps that often cater to the diehard demographic. It built very well and the structure of  the match used the star power involved very effectively. The peaks and valleys of the action allowed for the drama to really crescendo prior to the finish of the match. Keep in mind, the performers didn't have to use high spots to get a reaction, they used their star power, the booking of the match, and ring psychology to maximize the effectiveness of the conclusion of the match.

Truth be told, if you polled the audience, in the building or those watching on Peacock, they probably would've said that either Cena or Punk would be the odds on favorite to get the spot at Wrestlemania, Cena because of the retirement tour, and Punk because of his stated goal of working the main event of the show so the ending sequence used that to add an extra layer of drama.

As we know, after Cena won the match to secure the spot to challenge Cody for the WWE championship, Rhodes made his way down to the ring to congratulate him on the win. Of course, The Rock was next to enter the arena, and the promised confrontation between him and Cody took place.

I don't think anyone prior to the pay-per-view would've ever guessed that John Cena was going to turn heel at any point before he retired, for all the reasons that he didn't turn heel at the peak of his career. The only thing that tipped me off to it in a small way was that I noticed that Cena was still in the ring after Cody refused The Rock's offer, which was only a red flag because there are patterns within the history of wrestling for these types of segments. The brief suspicion that something was up wasn't enough of a warning, though as the heel turn, particularly with the blank face that Cena made during the hug with Cody, was still a very shocking moment.

This segment underscores why the WWE is so solid when it comes to sports entertainment because the camera work was absolutely perfect. They got the shot of Cena with the villainous look, which lets the audience know that he and The Rock had it planned the entire time and then the camera got the "cut" sign from The Rock before the camera switched back to Cena's response before the low blow.

It's often said that professional wrestling is about the moments, and there's no doubt that the John Cena heel turn will be one of the most memorable moments in the history of the industry.

Some might wonder why the office waited until his final run to turn Cena heel, but all things considered, this is really the only time that it would've truly made sense, both from a storyline and business prospective. When he was the ultimate baby face, one of the admirable traits of that character is that despite the hostility and the hurdles, the true baby face never gives up or compromises their values. With this being his last run, the office doesn't have to take into account how a heel turn will effect his persona in the future or his very lucrative merchandise sales. The argument could be made that if Cena would've turned heel in the middle of his career that he wouldn't have quite been able to recapture the same level of popularity he had as a baby face after he would become a "good guy" again so management waited until his retirement run to present him as a villain.

Furthermore, and this is potentially the biggest piece of the entire puzzle, if Cody Rhodes, or anyone else for that matter, is truly going to ascend to the "John Cena spot" as far as being the top baby face that works as the total representative of the company, the bottom line is, Cena can't be in that spot. This wasn't just Cena turning heel, this was John Cena vacating that position as the top baby face of the era to allow Cody to make the transition  into that position. There can't be comparisons to John Cena if Cena is on the opposing side. The way that it was done and the drama of the moment maximized the entire scenario. In the grand scheme of things, this sets up to eventually solidify Cody even more in that previous "John Cena spot" in the future, especially if Cena wins the belt at Wrestlemania.

It's well known that John Cena is going to retire at the end of the year so Rhodes could spend the second half of 2025 trying to recapture the title "for the fans" before Cena leaves with the championship. The bottom line is, the conclusion of this storyline could be a way for John Cena to truly pass the torch to Cody Rhodes as the top star in the company.

What's next for the Hardys?

Last week, The Hardy Boys, one of the most popular tag teams in the history of the industry, made their return to WWE television with their surprise appearance on the NXT program. The concept itself isn't exactly too surprising since the partnership with Total Nonstop Action that was announced last year had mentioned a crossover with talent on the NXT brand, but the appearance has prompted questions about if a full-fledged Hardys return could be in the cards for the iconic duo?

As we know, the Hardys, both individually and collectively, had rough patches during their careers, both inside and outside of the ring. Thankfully, Matt cleaned his life up several years ago, and while Jeff had some slips over the years, it appears that he's in a good place now. It should be noted, and this is one of the many complex issues that go along with stars that struggle with substances, Jeff is unanimously praised as a great guy, and you don't hear anyone say anything negative about him as a person, which is extremely rare for the pro wrestling business. Unfortunately, the only person that Jeff hurt over the years was himself, and despite some very unwise driving choices, you never get the impression that he wanted to put anyone at risk, but rather had a disregard for himself.

It's definitely frustrating to see someone with so much talent, who undoubtedly achieved a lot, still fall short of their true potential. Again, it's great to see Jeff in a better place today and hopefully, he can stay on the right path toward the latter stages of his in-ring career.

The last time we saw the Hardys return to the WWE fold, and there was a lot of water under the bridge before that, too much water to paddle through in this article without it becoming too lengthy for readers, was in 2017 when they made a shocking return at Wrestlemania. It was truly one of the most memorable moments of the modern era and the reaction that they received from the stadium crowd was incredible. The reason that the return was so surprising was that in the social media age, when everyone thinks they know everything, the comeback was kept secret, and not just by those in the office, but rather the circumstances at the time allowed for an organic reveal. At a time when Ring Of Honor was drawing some of the best crowds in its history with basically what became the foundation for the eventual launch of All Elite Wrestling, the Hardys worked a ladder match against The Young Bucks at an ROH event the night before Wrestlemania. The  usual approach would be that an arriving talent wouldn't work such a match even remotely close to their return to the WWE because a fluke injury on a much smaller stage could ruin the chance for a moment on global television.

When the Hardys worked a ladder match and didn't mail it in the night before, nobody thought it was possible that they'd risk the injury and thus the possibility of a fresh run in the WWE so when their music hit, it was a major moment, which ultimately elevated their level of star power.

That being said, the Hardys have somehow had a 30-year career, despite the immense amount of risks they took for the bulk of their careers, including the revolutionary series of ladder matches in the early-2000s, and the majority of those three decades were spent under the WWE banner. There were debuts, firings, re-hirings, releases, comebacks, and returns along the way for the team in terms of their involvement with WWE.

Their 2017 tenure probably didn't sustain itself as much as they would've probably initially hoped for, but again, considering everything that they had already accomplished, a nostalgia run was going to have limited options. Sure, Matt was eventually repackaged as the "Woken" gimmick, a spinoff of the broken gimmick that became a cult favorite years earlier in TNA, and was also paired with Bray Wyatt for a period of time as a tag team, but the harsh reality is that the WWE is constantly in the mode of building for the future, and quite simply, a tag team from the late-90s wasn't going to have as much priority from management in the modern era, especially when the tag team division is still secondary in the company.

After Jeff suffered a shoulder injury that put him on the shelf for about six months, it wasn't surprising that Matt wanted to test the waters of All Elite Wrestling when he signed with the organization in early-2020, particularly because of the enthusiasm that there was around an alternative product at the time. Despite a few scary moments, including when Matt suffered a concussion from a fall to the concentrate and then when he got hard way cut by a flying chair from Sammy Guevara, Matt was able to build some momentum again in the new promotion.

Similar to Matt in the latter portion of his WWE tenure, Jeff Hardy fizzled out toward the end of his run, which resulted in his release in late-2021. This wasn't so much a knock against Jeff's talent or popularity, but again, the WWE priority is often designed to build toward the future, and there just wasn't much for the aging star to do among the WWE landscape. So, he joined Matt in All Elite Wrestling in early-2022 for another reunion as a tag team. Unfortunately, the reason for why this stint didn't get off the ground was two-fold, as far as the specifics of All Elite Wrestling. As trivial as it might sound, it just wasn't long enough since the previous Hardy Boys reunion for there to be a level of anticipation for the fans to want to see them as a team again. Instead, it was a stale retread of something that was used several times prior in several other companies. The second and much bigger issue is that The Hardys couldn't avoid the pitfall that the vast majority of the talent that get signed to the company endure after they ink a contract, they get spotlighted for a few weeks until Tony gets distracted with the next acquisition to the organization.

Despite their popularity, and theoretically a chance to use their star power to sell tickets for television tapings, The Hardy Boys were completely lost in the shuffle and were forced to settle into a secondary role for the duration of their run in AEW. Obviously, it didn't help matters when just a few months into his All Elite stint, Jeff was arrested for DUI again in June 2022, which led to his suspension from the company. At that point, you can't really blame Tony for not investing TV time or promotional dollars into The Hardys because Jeff was still a liability and if you can't count on a star to be in condition to perform then it's too much of a risk for a national promotion to invest stock in their position on the card.

As mentioned, Jeff seems to be on the right path since that time, and the Hardys as a team have done well since they resurfaced in TNA in mid-2024. Granted, they are big fish in a relatively smaller pond, but there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it makes the most of their star power and allows the organization to get a boost in the process so it's a win-win situation. For example, with a TNA event, the Hardys are more or less the biggest stars on the show, which has been very valuable for the company with their expanded touring schedule. The Hardys help sell tickets in those mid-size venues, and it's often reported that the post-show meet and greet lines for the team are impressive as an example of how popular they still are today. 

On the flip side, with John Cena, CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, and Seth Rollins on the roster, The Hardys would be just another name on the card at a WWE show, which is probably why they were brought back to NXT, as it was a smaller platform that gave them the opportunity to maximize their star power.

Ultimately, that's why that outside of the well-deserved WWE Hall Of Fame induction, there's not really anything left for the Hardys to do in the WWE, and they have a much bigger impact in TNA. Plus, at 50 and 47 respectively, Matt and Jeff have to be end the conclusion of their in-ring careers so it's doubtful that it would be wise for them to attempt to work the even reduced WWE schedule that their is today when there's considerably less travel involved with TNA because of the promotion's TV taping schedule. However, it should be noted that the eventual HOF induction will bring with it a new line of WWE merchandise and another renewed spotlight on the Hardy's legacy.

What's the status of Vince McMahon?

Sometimes, the world, especially in the modern society seems like the alternative timeline from 1985 in Back to the Future. Eccentric rocket man, Elon Musk is running wild like a Hogan comeback in his prime, slashing government programs and attempting a buyout of the CIA. Trump, in true heel fashion, paints the Russians, who invaded Ukraine three years ago, as the baby face, during the peace talks to hopefully end the conflict.

Is Vince Russo booking this?

In the midst of all the other nonsense, Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term, was confirmed as the head of the Department of Education. Math scores are going to go through the roof now. Along with that and not surprisingly, the Department of Justice dropped the investigation into Vince McMahon, who was accused of possible human trafficking and misrepresentations of company funds related to nondisclosure agreements that were used to buy the silence of several women that he had affairs with over the years. At the time, he used company money to pay those settlements without informing the company or the shareholders of the publicly-traded corporation, which was being invested by the Securities and Exchange Commission as a potential violation. After McMahon donated millions to Trump's campaign effort for his first stint in office, and Linda worked extensively as a part of a Republican Super Pac in recent years to try to ensure his re-election, both were rewarded for their efforts.

The criminal case against Vince was dropped, and Linda got another spot in Trump's cabinet.

Still, the civil lawsuit, the filing that prompted the original bombshell reports from the Wall Street Journal a few years ago, is still going through the legal process, as the federal government asked that the lawsuit pause while their department worked through the criminal investigation. With the criminal probe dropped, the legal grappling of if the case will be handled in arbitration or go to a jury trial is the current standing of the proceedings.

Outside of the fact that Vince will skate away from any criminal charges because of his friendship with Trump, the status of Vince McMahon remains the same, he was exiled from his pro wrestling empire in disgrace after the revelations of numerous affairs and several million dollars were paid to cover them up. Furthermore, John Laurinaitis, a former WWE executive during McMahon's tenure as the boss, was also involved in the lawsuit, as well as Brock Lesnar, who was officially named in a recent amended filing after the Department of Justice dropped the investigation.

The bottom line is, Vince McMahon is persona non grata within the WWE, and the TKO corporation, the merger that resulted when the company was joined with the UFC under the Endeavor banner, has taken very direct steps to completely distance itself from the former kingpin of sports entertainment. It's not a coincidence that Triple H is spotlighted as prominently as he is as the figurehead of the WWE, and all things considered, he should be.

Usually, such a notion would be dismissed as  wild internet clickbait, but with everything that has happened within the McMahon orbit within just a few months, is it possible that Vince could be angling to start a new sports entertainment company?

The rumor picked up steam when podcast czar, Conrad Thompson mentioned on Eric Bischoff's podcast, 83 Weeks that he heard a few rumblings that the former WWE owner could be in the process of trying to pitch a project to Fox, the network that hosted the Super Bowl this year that McMahon was in attendance for, with photos of him alongside The Undertaker and Shane McMahon surfacing online after the game.

There were reports online that in the time since he was dismissed from WWE that he was making plans to launch a production company, with some of the former WWE staff, including his longtime executive producer, Kevin Dunn, on the list of those that he recruited for new projects. Initially, it was reported that this was a non-wrestling venture, which would seem like a way for him to attempt to salvage some type of reputation in show business before the end of his career in the public eye.

All things considered, I just can't believe that Vince McMahon would attempt to start another pro wrestling promotion, particularly because a start up, by definition, would be in a secondary position to the TKO corporation. Vince simply doesn't settle for second place, and his knows the financial and media muscle behind the merger between his former company and the UFC, as he still made billions of dollars from the transaction.

Sure, Vince has billions of dollars in capital to invest if he wanted to start a new project, but would he really be able to secure any talent if he had a hypothetical television deal? It's well known that the top-tier stars from WWE are mostly under long-term contracts because of the existence of All Elite Wrestling so who exactly would be on the Vince McMahon roster? Furthermore, the success under the Triple H regime, specifically with him being spotlighted as the new head of the company, proves that the WWE fan base, which is the most casual demographic of wrestling fans, have accepted and in some ways, endorsed Triple H in the role. The vast majority of the WWE fan base is loyal to the brand itself, not Vince McMahon.

It should be noted that Vince will be 80 this year, and while it's entirely possible that he sold his soul for immortality, just in case he didn't, you have to wonder, does he realistically have enough time left as a full-time promoter to truly attempt to launch a new project? Is the guy going to be 92 in the office until 2 AM formatting his next version of Wrestlemania? Vince has said himself in many interviews in the past that he intends to "die in the chair" in terms of working in some form or fashion as long as he's alive so maybe that's what this new project is? He has billions of dollars so cash is just numbers on a page to him, perhaps, this possible new promotion is just a way to keep him occupied for the rest of his life?

Based on the vile evidence that was revealed in the previously mentioned lawsuit, it's fair to say that Vince McMahon isn't a normal guy, he's not someone that is going to be content with sitting on an island drinking ice tea in his golden years. Ironically, his eccentric nature as a ruthless businessman that took him to the top of the sports entertainment industry is probably also what led to his meteoric downfall.

So, on the surface, no, I don't think Vince McMahon will secure a deal on the Fox network for another pro wrestling project, and even if he attempted it, it's doubtful that he would truly be able to secure the top talented needed to get such an organization off the ground. There's too many big names signed for big money under long-term contracts for there to be anything even close to a perspective talent pool for something on that potential scale. Furthermore, given the evidence already revealed in the lawsuit, it's doubtful that fans would be willing to support or invest their cash through ticket sales or merchandise with another Vince McMahon project. That being said, given the events of the past few years, and particularly the past few months, it's not completely impossible for Vince McMahon to try to start a new wrestling company either.

What's the status of Lucha Underground?

The unique era of 2025 continues with news that the TKO corporation, the umbrella organization that resulted from the WWE and UFC merger, bought the rights to Lucha Underground, according to a report by Fightful Select. Lucha Underground was the cult hit that aired on the El Rey Networked for 4 seasons after its initially launch in 2014, with its association with the AAA in Mexico. The show brought an out-of-the-box approach to its presentation with eccentric backstage angles, but its in-ring presentation, which brought lucha libre to an American platform years after it had last been seen to any measurable degree, created a fan following, especially among the diehard fan base of the pro wrestling genre.

As I wrote at the time, the problem was, that the lucha underground concept was simply a television show, not a professional wrestling company. Granted, the off-the-wall storylines with backstage segments weren't my cup of tea, but the reason I put very little stock in the prospects of the project was that it didn't have a way to generate enough revenue to truly get off the ground to any significant degree. Infamously, Lucha Underground offered long-term contracts to talent and then some of those performers were stuck in sports entertainment purgatory because they couldn't explore other options while under the deal, but the Lucha Underground organization had a period of time where it wasn't producing new content, with its future up in the air.

It's important to keep in mind the scope of what the original brand was, several episodes were filmed within the span of a few days, with a studio audience being brought in to "play the role" of a wrestling crowd. Sure, Lucha Underground was probably popular enough at one point to draw crowds on the west coast, particularly with the strong Hispanic demographics in those areas, but there was never a test run to truly gauge how the brand would've drawn from a live event prospective because the project never ran a show that required tickets so if fans would or wouldn't have been willing to pay to attend, or at what ticket prices to get an estimate of a typical gate would be completely hypothetical.

Even if you look at the logistics of the concept as strictly a television show, which would then rely on ad revenue and sponsors to make a profit, the El Rey Network simply didn't have enough clearance on most cable systems to be able to sell that commercial time for nearly enough cash to cover production costs, along with wrestling contracts.

Basically, the show had a premise and a distribution channel, but wasn't able to monetize it in a way that was sustainable for any extended period of time.

With the launch of All Elite Wrestling the year after it folded, it's difficult to expect a studio project to be able to secure any top-tier talent in the modern era of the industry. Granted, JBL became involved in AAA last year, and of course, he's known as a slick financial guy, but that would probably be an effort designed to expand the pure Mexican brand, not a spinoff. It should be noted that while AAA was affiliated with Lucha Underground when it started a decade ago, any notion of a United States expansion based on the momentum of the El Rey exposure was probably misguided and never materialized.

So, why would the WWE buy the rights to the Lucha Underground name?

This could be something as simple as buying the video library because of the amount of footage that involved either current or former WWE talent. Penta just made the jump to WWE last month and he was one of the standout performers on El Rey. When Rey Mysterio left WWE for a few years, one of the places that he worked was for Lucha Underground. Ricochet, Chelsea Greene, and Rey Fenix, who is expected to join the WWE after his All Elite deal expires, were among those that wrestled for Lucha Underground.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the tape collection was the primary purpose of the purchase. Don't get me wrong, I understand that it's possible that the project could be brought back under the WWE banner, but realistically, how much cache does Lucha Underground really have with the current WWE audience? Again, keep in mind, the El Rey Network had relatively minimal television clearance and folded almost seven years ago so how many fans of the modern product are aware of what Lucha Underground was?

Sure, it's possible with the rights to the name purchased that the WWE could repackage a Lucha Underground concept with a WWE spin on it, but why wouldn't they just create their own brand instead of bringing back a niche concept that someone else started a decade ago? Let's not forget, the WWE, while more flexible under the Triple H regime, is still a corporation that looks to own the rights to as much of its content as possible, and truth be told, it would probably be a wiser decision to start something fresh than to try to recapture the brief momentum that Lucha Underground had ten years ago.

Assuming that this might be an indication that WWE has some sort of place for a specific lucha project, there are several questions that would be key to determining if there was any chance of long term success. First and most importantly, even with the legitimate globalization efforts of the TKO corporation under the direction of Nick Khan, I still don't think a pure lucha libre concept will get the push of the WWE machine, it's just a style that is too counterculture to the basic fundamentals of the WWE product. There's nothing wrong with that either, it's just to point out that despite the massive reach of the WWE, it's not realistic to be able to tailor programming to the entire world.

Regardless of if it would be for a new WWE product or the relaunch of Lucha Underground, where and when the shows would be taped would be one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to determine its chances of success. We saw several times that attempting to tape extra content after one of the main shows goes off the air often led to either diminished crowds as people weren't going to stay late for a secondary show or just a flat reaction because of everything else already presented at the taping prior in the night. The doomed ECW on Sci-Fi tapings were probably the best example of how that format doesn't create a good atmosphere for a television taping. Furthermore, there was actually a mostly unknown attempt to tape a short-lived WWF lucha show during the the 41-episode run of WWF Super Astros, the company's lucha experiment that aired on Univision, the largest Spanish language station in the United States, from 1998-1999. The program actually had names like Super Crazy, El Hijo Del Santo, and others, but was taped in front of WWF crowds that didn't have any idea who the performers were, particularly since there was before computers were household items so there were very limited resources about lucha libre during the era.

Of course, the publicly-traded organization looks to maximize its revenue streams for its stockholders, but there's a different between marketing specific lucha libre stars and trying to establish or showcase the style as a whole. The WWE, because of its attempt to target the broadest demographic possible, wants to promote lucha performers, not the full-scale lucha style. That's why I don't think even the purchase of the Lucha Underground rights is anything beyond the acquisition of the tape library. All things considered, the amount of potential revenue that would be on the table for a full lucha show with its own set of television tapings, Mexican stars under contract, and the production costs, probably wouldn't be worth the possible return on investment when there's a lot more money to be made in foreign markets from the major gate revenue made from bringing signature pay-per-views to different countries.

What's the status of Shane McMahon?

A new report from Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp has created some chatter online around the photo that surfaced several months ago of AEW boss, Tony Khan meeting with Shane McMahon. At the time, it sparked speculation that perhaps the second generation McMahon, who was dismissed from the family organization on a few occasions before his return against The Miz at Wrestlemania was cut short when he tore his quad just minutes into the match, might consider a jump to All Elite Wrestling.

Since this photo coincided with the start of the Jon Moxley faction and his promos that implied something major that would affect the promotion in the future, some were guessing that Shane would be revealed as the force behind the stable, creating the possibility of a McMahon working for Tony Khan.

As I wrote at the time, as much as Shane might want a better conclusion to his wrestling career than tearing his quad against The Miz, I just didn't think that he would ever work anywhere in professional wrestling outside of the WWE, especially because by nature, it would be seen as a step down. This would be underscored when you take into account the current standing of All Elite, as its ratings and ticket sales have declined over the past two and a half years.

All things considered, it's doubtful Shane would settle for a secondary group, while his sister and brother-in-law run the sports entertainment portion of the TKO merger that brought the WWE together with the UFC. Since the merger, the $5 billion Netflix deal was announced and the company continues to generate record-setting revenue.

However, according to Fightful Select, Shane actually considered working with the Khan-owned organization, looking to run the company in some aspect. There were some rumors that Shane wanted some level of ownership in the company, but that couldn't be confirmed, and I really doubt that McMahon would make such a request during an initial meeting.

Jonathan Coachman claimed on his podcast that Tony stopped any communication with Shane after the meeting as a way to dismiss the offer. I take anything that Coachman says about more or less anything with less than a grain of salt, especially in this case since it's doubtful that the secondary interviewer that hasn't actually worked in the sports entertainment industry in years would have any idea what Tony Khan or Shane McMahon are doing about anything, let alone the details of a potential business deal that would effect the direction of All Elite Wrestling.

According to Sapp, Tony passed on Shane's offer to run any portion of the promotion, which isn't surprising at all, given that the entire point behind the launch of All Elite Wrestling was to allow him to relive his E-fed booking on the internet from his youth in real life. We've seen several examples that money is no object to Tony so revenue and profit aren't goals for him. The bottom line is, Tony isn't going to allow anyone else to play in his sandbox.

That being said, what if Shane McMahon was brought into run All Elite Wrestling?

As much as the reasoning behind Tony's decision to decline the possible offer would be self-serving, that doesn't mean that even if he looked at the situation objectively that he should've handed the reigns over to the second generation McMahon. Make no mistake about it, Shane more than earned his stripes in his younger days as a performer on the roster. He wasn't as graceful as Rickey Steamboat, but he took many risks to prove that he was willing to sacrifice for the business and wasn't just there because of his last name. At the same time, does any of that qualify him to be a booker or run the company in any other fashion? As we know, Shane originally left WWE in 2009 when it became clear that he wasn't the next McMahon in line to run the company. If he would've done a better job than his sister and his brother-in-law is irrelevant because it would be a total hypothetical. 

The harsh reality is, Shane was around the business for years and assisted in different aspects of the business side, but he has zero experience as a booker of a national wrestling company. While All Elite Wrestling certainly needs someone besides Tony Khan to script the shows, what exactly does Shane bring to the table from an administrative stand point besides his last name? Sure, Shane worked in the offices of the corporate structure of WWE, but that's obviously very different from the structure or lack thereof within AEW.

This isn't necessarily meant as a knock on Shane, but he doesn't have the qualifications or the track record to be the answer for All Elite. To be fair, with the multi-layered problems that the promotion has, it remains to be seen if anyone would have the answer to recapture the momentum that the project had after it originally launched. At 55, he has very little, if anything to offer from an in-ring perspective. Furthermore, and this might be one of the points that would be overlooked on the surface because of the initial shock value a McMahon appearence on Dynamite would generate, Shane often overstayed his welcome so to speak with much of his latter tenure in WWE.

Anyone remember the "best in the world" stint in 2019 when Shane got more TV time on Smackdown than most of the roster? How about when AJ Styles was used as an opponent for Shane just to try to ensure that McMahon had a decent match at Wrestlemania? Along with that, there was the infamous Royal Rumble appearence in 2022, where it was reported that Shane wanted the match to be built around him, and the incident received such criticism that he was actually dismissed from the company a few days after the event.

Are the fans really clamoring for another Shane McMahon run on television, even if it was on AEW programming?

Of course, given the fact that Shane never surfaced on Dynamite lends some level of credibility to the story that negotiates fizzled before they ever got started. While I think Tony would undoubtedly want to hire Shane just so that he could say that he had a McMahon working for him, the biggest takeaway from this story is the hypothetical decline of the offer. 

There's no doubt that Tony Khan would pay Shane McMahon millions of dollars to sign an All Elite Wrestling contract, and at least initially, the shock value would get the fans to tune into Dynamite. The problem from there, is two-fold in terms of why the deal wouldn't be finalized, and if it did, the impact would be minimal. It's not unrealistic to think that Shane might want to run a portion of the company because as mentioned, his in-ring days are probably over, or at least they should be, and money isn't a motivation for him since he's more than financially secure. Sure, Shane would want to get paid to work for All Elite Wrestling, but the goal would be accomplishment, not cash. It's at least possible that maybe he wanted to accomplish something within professional wrestling on his own, and if he boosted the profile of All Elite Wrestling, it would definitely prove that he should've received more consideration for the next in line to run WWE many years ago.

The bottom line is, Tony Khan isn't going to allow anyone else to run the promotion because that would defeat the purpose of the project, to allow him to be a pro wrestling promoter. No, Shane McMahon wouldn't be the answer because even the shock value that would get fans to tune in would only be temporary, and as mentioned, Shane doesn't have the track record as a booker to truly turn the company around so the overall impact would eventually be minimal. Assuming that even a portion of the story is true, it underscores that Tony won't relinquish any power within All Elite Wrestling and that will ultimately continue the trend of a slapstick product that has seen a 40% decline in viewership in the past two and a half years.

The career of Johnny Norris

Almost a year ago, on March 4, 2024, Johnny Norris, an aspiring grappler of the squared circles of Pittsburgh, found himself not in the ring, but rather checking into St. Clair hospital in Pittsburgh on a brisk Monday morning. The bright lights and enthusiastic atmosphere of the West Newton gym, where he was a crowd favorite for the Renegade Wrestling Alliance, a blue collar league known in the region for its diehard fan base, were replaced with the static florescent bulbs and dry environment of his pre-op room.

Instead of hearing the cheers of the crowd packed into the venue known as "The House of Renegades" for its gritty appeal and signature visual presentation, Norris sat in solitude, pondering his pro wrestling future as he heard the chatter of the busy medical staff in the hallways.

The procedure was the reconstruction of his right knee, which required doctors to cut his patellae and relocate it to his tibia. Tendons and cartilage had to be replaced to provide stability for his knee cap throughout the recovery process.

However, this wasn't the first or even second time that Norris had to go under the knife to repair his right knee, but rather the fourth surgery, with an additional surgery on his left knee previously as well.

"The origin of both my knees consist of genetically bad joints. I have massive arthritis in both knees. The dislocation issues arouse multiple times in the military and have became worse with age. I’ve had one dislocation during training and one in a match," Norris explained.

Before Norris wore a vest inspired by the 1979 gang film, "Warriors," a touching tribute to his late younger brother's favorite movie, and wrestling boots to prepare for combat in the ring, he wore steel toe boots and a uniform as a member of the United States Navy. Serving from 2007 to 2013, Norris obtained the rate and rank of Master of Arms Third Class Petty Officer. Throughout his six-year tenure as a member of the armed forces, Norris was stationed as close to home as Virginia and Illinois, but also as far away as Guantanamo Bay and Japan.

Similar to the design of his wrestling gear, his service to the country also has family ties.

"My grandfather served in Vietnam, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve my country," he explained.

The connection between military service and the sport of professional wrestling played a key role for him, as the two went hand-in-hand when he decided to pursue each path.

"At 19, I tried out for wrestling training. Problem was, I was 6’2” and 150 pounds. Everything about wrestling hurt more than I could explain. Not having medical insurance made the decision to pause a no-brainer. So, I decided my next best option, the United States Navy," Norris commented.

Despite his accomplishments and travels quite literally around the world in the navy, Johnny Norris always had the goal in the back of his mind of pursuing a stint in the over-the-top world of professional wrestling. He fell in love with the sport at 14, spending hours each day running through different scenarios of future championship glory while he sat in math class as a youth, or doodling pro wrestling logos in notebooks during study halls.

So, when the scrawny kid that joined the navy at 150 pounds emerged as an adult with lean muscle mass and tremendous agility from years of physical training in the military, Norris opted to jump back into pro wrestling training with both feet.

Throughout 2019, he learned the ropes at a local spot in Pittsburgh, a region with a vibrant independent scene, with at least live event cards running somewhere in the area on any given weekend. The building was dingy and provided a harsh reality check that glamour isn't guaranteed at the entry level of the industry. Still, Norris' size, agility, and thirst for knowledge impressed his trainers, as they saw the potential of a successful career in the cards for him.

At first, he surfaced on smaller cards in a body guard role while he put the finishing touches on his in-ring training before he was slated for his pro debut. Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the entire world, his plans for sports entertainment were delayed.

However, when Norris was unleashed as a regular performer in 2022, he spent the following two years establishing himself on the local scene as a force that the fans took notice of almost immediately.. Throughout 2022 and 2023, Norris built momentum as he steadily honed his craft, gaining valuable experience wrestling on live events to polish his skills.

The knee injury that he sustained in early-2024 that landed him at St. Clair Hospital on the previously mentioned chilly March morning tested his determination and dedication to a career inside the ring ropes. During the bulk of the rehabilitation process, the grappler with the moniker "Lights Out" spent seven days a week working toward incremental improves to achieve mobility again. The wrestler that jumped, ran, and dove in the ring found that it took months to rebuild toward the most simple movements. 

"Therapy was incredibly hard, it started with very simple exercises like slight bending of the knee and stretching. At about five months, I finally reached full bend of my knee and could do exercises like walking, lunges, step ups, squats, and running," Norris remarked.

Of course, after he was medically cleared for activity again, Norris was chomping at the bit to get back on the canvas of a wrestling ring. He began to work on conditioning drills at the Stronghold Academy, the training center of the Ryse Wrestling organization, located in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

Finally, after nearly a year of away from the competition of sports entertainment, the lights literally went out in the West Newton gym, as the villainous Gianni Micheal Emricko gloated on the mic, asking who could challenge for his RWA No Limits championship. As music played, the lights came on, revealing Norris standing in the ring behind the heel after the extended absence. The fans in attendance erupted when Norris choke slammed his foe, proclaiming his intentions to win the title.

"I think I had the same feeling anyone has once they return from injury or a long break. Will everyone remember me? They did, and it was the greatest feeling I ever had in my career. The hard work, the training, and overcoming almost impossible odds all paid off. Johnny Norris is just getting started," he said.

With Norris back in the game, he also returned to Ryse Wrestling earlier this month as the organization's no-nonsense commissioner. It's no surprise that promoters and event organizers from across the circuit want to add the dynamic and powerful athlete to their line-ups.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Johnny Norris in professional wrestling, the knee injury that put him on the shelf in 2024 is proof of how unpredictable the sport can be. However, the biggest takeaway from his career might be the perseverance it takes to overcome a series of obstacles to continue to pursue the passion for the sport of professional wrestling.