What's next for Johnny Gargano?

After several months of laying on a crate backstage without saying a word, looking like a total doofus and everything that a solid baby face shouldn't be, Johnny Gargano sprang up to challenge CM Punk for the WWE championship last week on Smackdown in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Of course, if the office was going to reignite the former NXT champion as a competitor again, that was the place to do it since it would give him the best reaction possible, thus making him look like more of a star in the process.

But, was last week on Smackdown enough to reinvigorate the WWE career of Johnny Gargano? Furthermore, is there anything on the horizon for him beyond this one-week payoff after he was made to look foolish on television for months?

Obviously, it remains to be seen how or if the writing team will follow-up on the CM Punk match from last week, but considering the quality of the match itself, there's no doubt that management has something to work with in terms of Gargano's in-ring ability. In fact, since the time that he appeared on WWE programming in 2015 before he officially inked a contract with the company the following year to be a part of the developmental brand, the in-ring ability of  Johnny Gargano wasn't in question. He was brought into the fold during the main era of when Triple H was the boss of NXT, and was dubbed, "a Triple H guy," similar to his tag partner Tommaso Ciampa, who opted not to renew his WWE contract this past January before he debuted on AEW Dynamite the following week.

That would lend itself to Gargano being booked in a better position with Paul Levesque as the head of creative of the WWE after Vince McMahon was exiled in disgrace. That's not meant to imply that it would be a form of nepotism, but rather to point out that any booker has performers that they believe can accomplish their vision for a particular show or brand. Keep in mind, when Paul Heyman was put in charge of Raw, and Eric Bischoff was the executive producer of Smackdown, individually for a cup of  coffee in 2019, there was a brief, but specific shift in the spotlight that was focused on certain performers at the time, such as Aleister Black since Heyman had a belief in him. The fact that the moves were merely lip service for investors since there was a growing level of discontent with the creative direction of the company from the fan base, which is why the roles were eliminated for Heyman and Bischoff within a year, is a different discussion.

The point is, Levesque had a belief in Gargano during his time as the boss of NXT, and a lot of the success of the brand at the time was based on the specific players that Triple H picked to run with his concept of the show, but for whatever reason, it never translated to the main roster in any significant or meaningful way.

Johnny Gargano actually decided not to renew his WWE contract when it expired in late-2021 to be able to spent more time with his family when his wife, WWE wrestler, Candice LeRae was going to give birth to their son early the next year. Eventually, Gargano made a surprise return to Raw in August of 2022, which provided the artificial pop when someone is back on the show, but the vast majority of the past four years saw him more or less under the radar in the company.

Gargano had a few injuries during that time, including a shoulder injury that put him on the sidelines almost six months, and there was speculation that the routine that saw him planking on a crate since the start of the year was because he re-aggravated the previous shoulder injury. I understand that it was a way to keep him on the show, but even if that was the case, I'd argue that being off of TV completely would've been a better option than making him look like a dork for months on Smackdown.

If I had to guess, I'd say that this return to the ring was a one-off that won't amount to much in the grand scheme of things. That's not to say that Gargano couldn't do more on the show, he certainly can, or that the audience wouldn't get behind him since they probably would, but the reality is that there's no track record to imply that the WWE machine will truly get behind him on the main roster to see how far up the ladder he could go if he got a chance to work to his fullest potential.

As much as I think Gargano has the skills to have a regular, bigger role within the WWE landscape, there is an argument to be made, or a least you can see the reasoning behind why the office might be hesitant to do so.

At 39. Johnny Gargano definitely has a few more years of his theoretical prime left in his career. There are a slew of reasons for it, including talent avoiding many of the pitfalls of the previous generation, as well as the advancements in treatment for injuries and overall recovery for the body, but the reality is that outside of major injuries that can completely derail an in-ring career, the current generation can extend their careers longer than those of a prior era. More protocols, medical staffs, and access to some of the best doctors in the world are much better options than self-medicating and taping up injuries.

So, Gargano isn't at the end of his career by any means, but at the same time, when you consider the history of his career, it skews toward the latter portion of his time as a wrestler.

He started in the sport during his teenage years and had a few injuries, including a serious back injury, during his independent run. Since Gargano started so young, he simply has fewer years left now than he would've otherwise. Along with that, the series of injuries that he had during his time in WWE might get him labeled as injury prone, in terms of how much of an investment the company would or wouldn't be willing to make in him.

Besides that, he has a few other things working against him, at least from a promotional point of view. TKO, especially at this point, has a business model that looks to promote the larger-than-life aspect of the WWE more than maybe even Vince McMahon would have. Vince's troupes about sponsorships and commercials were discarded in favor of the bottom line. TKO is trying to sell so much of the sizzle that the argument can be made that they've fallen woefully short of the expectations of the substance of the product, souring some fans in the process. It goes without saying that Vince made questionable personal decisions, and not every professional decision that he made was a home run, but it can't be denied that McMahon's tireless work ethic was designed to give the audience their money's worth the vast majority of the time. There's something to be said for that, because fandom often became generational under McMahon's leadership.

Does the TKO business plan have any room for someone like Johnny Gargano?

I'm not saying there shouldn't be, and everyone can rally behind a solid underdog narrative, but taking into account the way that TKO exploits the current assets of the company, with seemingly no thought toward the future, is Mark Shapiro going to see the value in the effort to invest those promotional dollars into Gargano?

The problem is, Johnny Gargano is smaller in statue and doesn't have the look of a major star. When the bell rings, the guy can go, but who's going to better represent what the TKO brand is selling today, Roman Reigns or Johnny Gargano? Bron Breakker or Gargano? Oba Femi or Gargano? On the other end of the spectrum, Danhausen isn't as tall as Andre, but he has a very marketable gimmick. whereas Gargano looks like your friendly neighbor that would help carry your groceries into the house.

So, I don't think that there will be a major resurgence in his career, but that doesn't mean that he won't be successful. The bottom line is, Gargano has made a full-time living from the WWE for more or less the past decade. Given his pure skills in the ring, it seems like he would eventually be a good fit for either the role of a coach at the Performance Center or a producer for Raw or Smackdown so it's very possible that he will continue to work for the company for years after he retires.

NXT releases

The annual purge of talent from the WWE roster is usually around Wrestlemania each year, prompting some discussion about where performers will go next, who was underutilized, etc. But, as we've seen since the WWE merger with the Ultimate Fighting Championship to form the TKO corporation a few years ago, the conglomerate takes a much more direct approach to its talent relations.

Cutting talent is unfortunate and disheartening, it's tough to see anyone lose their job, especially their dream job in many cases, but it's a harsh reality of the business side of the genre. The name of the game is to develop and promote talent that can draw money on the biggest scale possible. There are a lot of boxes for potential WWE superstars to check, many of them that extend beyond just the in-ring skills, which is why the money-drawing stars in the largest sports entertainment company in the world are a rare breed. Some of that has to do with the modern philosophy of promoting the brand ahead of any individual star, which gives the organization more of a margin for error, so to speak, if any injury that might put a main event name on the shelf, or if there's a contract depute that would take the talent off the roster until a resolution was agreed upon. The other side of the coin is that the specific performers aren't over as much as the previous generation when the focus was on those individual stars rather than the initials. Steve Austin, The Rock, and Mick Foley were over bigger in their heyday individually than the WWE is today, in terms of pop culture popularity, partially because they were given the spotlight, not the initials. Sure, each of those guys represented the WWF brand, but a lot more Austin 3:16 t-shirts were sold than the standard WWF logo t-shirts. It's a lot easier for the audience to emotionally invest into the character than the corporation, and that's taking nothing away from the massive success that the WWE has become as far as being a global, publicly-traded organization.

Still, even taking that equation into account, the amount of talent that can excel in the top positions where the big money is made, is a select group of high-level performers. As of today, there are only a handful of names that can truly move the needle, especially since the retirement of a slew of legends in recent years. In fact, you could say that WWE was able to ride the wave of the John Cena retirement tour to still draw major crowds last year when the rest of the product probably didn't justify it. Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Rhea Ripley are on the short list of WWE stars that the general public will take notice of these days. That's not to discount any other extremely talented performers on the roster, but rather to point out how exclusive the top-tier is.

They have to be able to go in the ring, they have to be able to cut the promos to sell the pay-per-views, they have to do the media rounds to keep the sponsors satisfied, they have to be able to sell merchandise, and they have to be able to avoid the countless pitfalls of the modern age of technology when everyone has a smart phone to be able to record almost everything, particularly on social media.

There are also the countless wrestlers that get shuffled through the Performance Center, and if the program has a 10% success rate based on the number of athletes they sign to a relatively cheap developmental deal, the investment is more than worth it. When you have that many prospects coming through the doors, it's an easy decision to release a few that may or may not be progressing at a fast enough rate since those cuts make room for new prospects.

That's why even though the WWE had its extended list of releases a few months ago, it's not too surprising that ten wrestlers were cut, according to a report from Fightful Select.

Adriana Rizzo, Wendy Choo, Anya Rune, Zena Sterling, Braxton Cole, Marcus Brown, Gary Wilson, Jasper Troy, PJ Vasa, and Ellen Akesson were all given their walking papers.

The majority of this list is cannon fodder, not to say that they don't have a future, but rather that their status among the landscape in WWE, or even just the developmental system is moot. For example, Marcus Brown and Ellen Akesson were recruits from the bodybuilding world that were inked to contracts in March, but never actually had a match. In this case, they were prospects with an athletic background that probably couldn't make the transition to sports entertainment. The totality of the investment is minimal and their relatively quick exits clears space for the next group of prospects that might make a better transition to the squared circle. Gary Wilson was a referee that spent four years under contract, and it might've been a situation where there just wasn't an open spot for him further up the ladder. Braxton Cole, Anya Rune, PJ Vasa were all signed within the past year and competed on Evolve. This is where the impact of most of these cuts is more or less zero because the developmental brand within the developmental system is more about the analysis of progress for the talent rather than any type of star power or cache as a commodity. The Evolve brand is basically there to give prospects some type of in-house television exposure so to speak before they would be considered for actual television exposure on the NXT brand on the CW. The reason being that Tubi is under the radar enough that rookie mistakes won't be exposed enough to sour the audience on a wrestler that is still getting experience, but it's enough of a WWE style production that the performers can learn how to work a WWE television environment. 

Adriana Rizzo worked primarily as an interviewer on the Evolve show, and this might be a situation similar to Gary Wilson, maybe they just didn't have a spot for her further up the ladder in the system. Zena Sterling was a part of the LFG series, and despite the television exposure, the viewership was minimal so the impact of her release is as well. Jasper Troy was the winner of a season of LFG and had a stint as the WWE Speed champion, but again, the viewership was so minimal on anything that he was involved in so the vast majority of the WWE audience, including fans of the developmental brands, probably don't know who he is.

The biggest release from the list might be Wendy Choo, who originally signed a developmental deal in 2019, but had spent a few years on the sidelines after a serious ankle injury that required surgery. Choo had been enough of a part of the NXT brand in various roles that she had an action figured released by Mattel that sold very well, including a chase variant. The others on this list weren't far enough along to get merchandise, which is one of the reasons that I'd say that Choo was the biggest cut, as she had proven to be at least somewhat marketable, albeit for a smaller sample size. I think it goes without saying that Choo is going to get offers going forward, and TNA is probably where she ends up since it's a more natural transition since there's a working agreement between the two organizations, allowing the door to be open for an eventual NXT return.

As mentioned, it's tough when people lose their jobs, but in some ways, this could allow the talent cut from the roster to use the experience they gained in the developmental system to be make to  still make a better first impression than they would've other wise since the majority of fans still don't know who most of them are. Getting cutting from the WWE isn't the end of a career, Drew McIntyre is a great example of that, but this scenario shows just how much of a machine the TKO corporation is because they can cut ten performers from the list and still have a full roster since it's just another day at the office.

The Butcher passed away

Life is so fragile. 

In the professional wrestling business, an industry often built upon the larger-than-life performers, we often see so many death-defying maneuvers and over-the-top spectacles that it becomes routine that the grapplers that take the bumps and bruisers are back to their feet to continue the bout after thrilling moments in the ring. These guys are such top-notch performers that falling twenty feet, landing on the canvas from the top rope, or crashing through a table is a part of the job description, especially in modern pro wrestling. Sure, injuries happen, but at the end of the day, these athletes always find a way to lace up their boots and get back through the curtain one more time, which is why almost nobody truly retires from the ring.

Again, we see these performers, especially at the highest levels, always get back up. It happens so often after the legitimate risks they take as pro wrestlers that it's expected that they can dust themselves off to make it to their next match.

Unfortunately, a tragic situation unfolded in Pittsburgh last night when a routine tag match, a contest without any of the risks that are often seen on national television today, ended with one of the performers not able to answer the bell.

Enjoy Wrestling, a progressive pro wrestling company that was celebrating it's fifth anniversary before they plan to conclude their operations next month, held its event at the Mr. Smalls Theater in the Millvale neighborhood of the city. Enjoy had carved a sizable niche for itself in an area that has a plethora of sports entertainment options, with a lineage that traces back to the Bruno days of Pittsburgh Studio Wrestling. There are live cards somewhere around western Pennsylvania almost every weekend. Still, despite the variety already in the area, Enjoy brought something fresh and innovative to the table, garnering a dedicated following over the past few years. Running roughly half a dozen events a year, Enjoy showcased unique talent from outside of the region that wasn't seen in Pittsburgh often such as Su Yung, Sonny Kiss, Effy, and others. At the same time, the group gave an enhanced spotlight on the stellar local crop of talent as well, while promoting inclusivity and acceptance.

The local league has a following that stretched beyond Pittsburgh through their Youtube content, and while the news of the end of the project was met with sadness, there was still a noticeable anticipation for the finale at Mr. Smalls.

As a commentator on the Pittsburgh scene, I didn't get a chance to see Enjoy's product in person, simply because I was often already scheduled to announce at different events on weekends that they had shows lined up, but I was always happy to see the fresh talent and opportunists for many of my friends from the local circuit. In particular, I was looking forward to getting to watch Lee Moriarty vs. Amazing Red at some point within the next few weeks.

The Butcher and The Blade, the former AEW duo, were scheduled to compete against TME, the pair of Duke Davis and Ganon Jones Jr. When it comes to some of the absolute best of the current Pittsburgh generation, TME are near the top of anyone's list. They are great performers, but even better guys outside of the ring. Matt Cardona spoke very highly of Duke Davis on his podcast after they worked a match together at an International Wrestling Cartel event last August. 

Sadly, around 8:45 PM last night, I heard from a few of my friends that were booked for the show that The Butcher had some type of medial emergency after the match and an ambulance was called immediately. I didn't realize how serious it was until photos from fans in attendance were posted online. I knew it had to be very serious for the medical team to be working on the real-life Andy Williams directly at ringside in front on the audience. Credit to Enjoy Wrestling for not only having a medical staff there to address the situation so quickly, but for also ending the event after the medical incident. It goes without saying that this scenario was much more important than a pro wrestling event, and the Enjoy management made the right call.

I was told that a few of the other wrestlers had accompanied Williams to the hospital, but didn't want to intrude for updates beyond what was already confirmed publicly. I was hoping for a positive follow-up at some point today, although, I have to be honest, I was very concerned because of the nature of the situation.

It was confirmed earlier today that Andy Williams passed away at the age of 48. As of this writing, no cause of death has been announced.

The Butcher broke into the sport later in life than most aspiring pro wrestlers, but not only did he land a contract for seven years with a national promotion of the decade that he spent in the genre, he also had a full-time music career as well. He was most known a a metal guitarist for the ETD band before he worked with Atomic Rule after the original group dissolved. When he wasn't in the ring, he was often on extended tours with the bands, achieving notoriety within that music scene.

Even though he started as a pro wrestler in his late-30s, that's probably what made The Butcher character work as well as it did. The trademark mustache and monocle made him look like a raging Monopoly man, as he alternated dropping to one knee to mimic an amateur wrestling exerciser in a menacing fashion. Someone that is in their early-20s simply wouldn't be able to get that persona over. There's no doubt that Andy Williams passed the airport test because you could look at the guy and know that he wasn't working a 9-to-5 job in a cubicle.

All things considered, The Butcher and The Blade were a very solid tag team in terms of their performance in All Elite Wrestling, even if they didn't get the opportunity to achieve as many accolades. The Blade suffered a serious neck injury that required surgery so he was on the shelf for the past few years. With The Blade on the sidelines, The Butcher only worked one match for the company in the past two years. He worked a handful of independent shows during that time, but continued working in music on an almost full-time basis. But, who was or wasn't full utilized during their stint in a pro wrestling company seems so secondary in comparison to the tragic situation that happened last night.

Despite his imposing demeanor in the ring, tributes have poured into social media, praising his kindness. It's an ironic dichotomy that the brooding persona that stomped around the squared circle was soft spoken in real-life interviews.

Obviously, Andy Williams is gone way too soon. Considering that the medical staff was there to work on him immediately, and from what I read online, he was taken to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, which is world-renowned for it's level of care, everything that could be done was done to try to prevent this tragic result. As I said, it's impressive that The Butcher had a national contract for seven of the ten years that he worked in wrestling, and the argument could be made that he was even more successful in the world of music with extensive tours.

Despite his life being cut tragically short, the biggest takeaway from Andy Williams was the positive impact that he had on fans and his peers. Sadly, situations like this remind us of how unexpected, and often unfair, life can be.

My sincere condolences to the friends and family of Andy Williams at this difficult time. 

Should Penta win the title?

In less than two weeks, Penta, who beat his real-life brother Fenix to earn a shot at the World Heavyweight championship on Raw this week, will challenge Roman Reigns for that belt when the broadcast is hosted in Mexico City on September 14th. The Monday night show that will be headlined by one of its countryman in the main event will be the wrap up of an important few days for the AAA brand, which WWE bought last year. The first night of Triplemania, the biggest event on the lucha libre calendar, will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 11th before the second night takes place just two days later at Arena CDMX as a part of the WWE's series of shows in the country. Despite what was mentioned in the WWE video packages to hype the lucha events, Triplemania has taken place over the course of multiple nights in the past.

Still, this is a pretty big time frame for the Mexican expansion of the TKO umbrella, as more major stars, including the legendary Rey Mysterio, became a regular part of AAA programming.

In many respects, putting those WWE stars into the fold of the lucha project sent a message to the audience that this wasn't meant to be an American takeover of their homegrown product, but rather a way to make their native promotion even bigger in the process. If that is how the chips fall into place in the long run remains to be seen, but at the very least, it establishes a level of goodwill with the Hispanic audience that TKO wants to promote authentic lucha libre on a global scale, not Americanize it.

With that in mind, is it possible that Penta could unseat Roman Reigns to win the World Heavyweight championship in Mexico City?

On the surface, the answer would be no, but a look at the WWE schedule opens the door for the possibility. Let's be honest here, for the most part, the WWE has cooled off compared to where it was a few years ago, that's a natural decline, and at this point in the year, specifically the span of time between Summer Slam and Survivor Series, the product can hit an unintended plateau. Outside of the Sunday Night's Main Event special on Peakcock this weekend, the next pay-per-view isn't until October 10th for the Money in The Bank PPV so there's undoubtedly time to add something fresh into the mix before the main event scene potentially gets reshuffled before Royal Rumble season.

Don't get me wrong, Roman Reigns is still one of the top tier guys for the company and should remain in that position until he retires. He's one of the very few stars from the modern era that have any type of connection with the mainstream public, and that's not anywhere near the level of stars of the past so it's a rare asset in 2026 that management will look to keep strong. At the same time, will dropping the title for a month or so really damage his status within the WWE? One thing is for sure, a championship win over Roman in Mexico City would propel Penta into a completely different level of stardom. I'd argue that even if it's a short run, that isn't the difference maker in the grand scheme of things. Penta becoming the champion would be about the moment, not the title reign itself.

I understand that there's a hierarchy within the WWE system, and Roman Reigns rarely loses matches. Maybe in the past it wouldn't have been seen as the most feasible option from a marketing perspective to have a wrestler that only speaks limited English defeat Roman Reigns for the world title, but taking into account that the WWE owns a lucha libre propriety, and Penta has a gimmick that lends itself to being extremely marketable, I'd say that they should go with the surprise victory and give Penta the championship until the next pay-per-view. Again, I have to point out, and this is meant as a compliment, I don't think Roman Reigns loses any status if he loses the belt. He has reached a point in his career that he's as over as he's going to be and he's solidified in that position, regardless of if he has the championship or not.

That being said, I don't think the belt will actually change hands when Raw is scheduled for Mexico City. I get the point of why they'd want a native performer to get a title shot to draw in the traditional audience, but I still think it would be somewhat of a letdown if or when Penta comes up short in his quest for the title, especially after the tournament on television the past several weeks to build up to the bout. Sure, Roman will probably shake Penta's hand and endorse him in the post-match segment, but it would still seem like somewhat of a missed opportunity, given the location, and more importantly, TKO's continued efforts to expand lucha libre under the WWE banner.

Obviously, it remains to be seen what move management makes for the title contest, but at the very least, it becomes another way to spotlight the lucha project. As I wrote at the time of the AAA purchase, I was skeptical, and in some ways still am, of what WWE is really going to do with a lucha organization. If something gets really over, there's a tendency to move it to the global stage of WWE rather than the national stage of AAA, or at least that would've been the philosophy under the previous regime. It was a pleasant surprise, at least so far, to see that the office hasn't cherry-picked AAA's most popular acts to import to the main roster. Since there are decades of examples of how the office had to put the WWE brand first in more or less every situation, even when they owned other properties, including WCW and ECW, I'm not going to be totally sold of their commitment to AAA until at least a few years from now. Keep in mind,Triple H had to pin Sting at Wrestlemania 15 years after WCW folded because Vince McMahon was still fighting the Monday night war.

One of the only good things that the TKO executives might bring to the table, as they ignore even the most respected wrestling troupes of that past, is that they don't have the irrational loyalty to the WWE initials. Vince McMahon beat Sting, and Goldberg had a horrendous run in 2003 because McMahon was simply not going to spotlight WCW guys. The suites at TKO don't care what the letter are, but rather how to make as much money as possible either the assets they own in the portfolio. We've seen how TKO has significantly increased the international footprint of the WWE brand, and they aren't going to derail the opportunity to make as much money as possible in the Mexican market just because McMahon Sr. founded Capital Wrestling with Toots Mondt in 1953.

One of the encouraging signs of the investment being put into the AAA brand was that at the recent comic con event, it was revealed that Mattel will release a full line of lucha libre action figures, with a nod to the past with throwback versions of Rey Mysterio and Psychosis as well as current stars from the promotion. Realistically, I find it very doubtful that there will be a title change on Raw, but there's no doubt that Penta winning the championship would be a memorable moment in Mexico City.  

What's the status of The Acclaimed?

According to Fightful Select, The Acclaimed, the duo that consisted of Anthony Bowens and Max Caster, could be on their way out of All Elite Wrestling after their current contracts expire in just a few weeks on October 1st. The report also said that it's unclear if any negotiates had taken place between Bowens or Caster and management, citing that it could be an indication that the former tag team and trios champions could exit the organization after almost six-year tenure in the organization.

It's less about parsing detail of what could've or should've been with the career of both Anthony Bowens and Max Caster in the company, and more about what the sum of their AEW careers represented as a microcosm of the bigger picture among the AEW landscape.

Despite some legitimate talent and potential to work with, in terms of fresh faces for a newer pro wrestling  commodity on the national level, the totality of the careers of The Acclaimed in All Elite Wrestling were the textbook definition of running in place.

Yes, they were discovered on AEW Dark at a time when more or less any independent wrestler was being shuffled through the Youtube series in the midst of the pandemic. Anyone that was fully trained and could test negative for COVID at the time was given a chance, even if they weren't exactly destined to end up on TBS or TNT since the pandemic brought many limitations with it. And, yes, they stood out from the pack of countless independent names to not only became regulars, but also sign a full-time contract with the promotion. Furthermore, yes, they went from the smaller stage of Youtube shows to national television to become one of the most popular acts in the company, albeit for a relatively short period of time.

On the surface, there was progress made, but was there really progress made in the grand scheme of things?

This isn't a knock on their talent in any way, shape, or form. Neither Bowens nor Caster were Lou Thez or The Dynamite Kid in the ring, but they were solid performers that proved that they had the skills to work for a national promotion. More specifically, they got over with the crowd and could work the audience more effectively than most of the roster.

It might not be something that can be rated five stars, but Caster's freestyle raps for the entrance, and Bowens role as the hype man worked. Their act connected with the audience, and their stable with Billy Gunn probably got over a lot stronger than anyone originally expected. Even when Bowens was on the shelf for a few months with a knee injury, he was still on AEW programming with Caster, and the team was still featured as a commodity. 

They had a nearly four-month run with the tag team titles from September of 2022 through the early part of 2023, which was probably their peak as stars on television. Since that time, for whatever reason, there was no plan of any substance or firm direction for them. Very similar to many others that are under contract to the Khan-owned organization, The Acclaimed faded into the background, almost as if they were forgotten about. Their tenure as the Trios champions with Billy Gunn in 2024 was also forgettable.

At the beginning of 2025, the tag team officially dissolved, and the brief attempts for a reunion fizzled out quickly. The opportunity to truly propel The Acclaimed as a valuable asset was missed. Again, this had nothing to do with their talent, but rather the way it was handled or lack thereof. Caster and Bowens were cast as secondary figures, and quite frankly, the audience moved onto other performers, and bigger stars in the tag team division. For example, The Acclaimed weren't booked to work with Adam Copeland and Christian in a storyline that could've made them look like rising stars, and the perception from the audience of both Caster and Bowens reflected that after the tag team disbanded.

Caster hasn't worked a match for AEW since last December, and Bowens only had about a dozen matches for the company each of the past two years. Bowens joining The Opps this past April didn't do much for him since he was just a background figure since that time, most recently working an eight-man tag team match on the pre-show of All In almost two weeks ago.

The reason that I said that The Acclaimed are the textbook example of running in place is, do they truly have bigger name value in 2026 than they did during their early days in AEW?

They certainly have the talent and the television experience to have a bigger profile in the industry, but aren't anywhere near as popular as they were at their peak a few years ago so it leaves them at a point of indifference before they appear to be set to test the free agent market.

However, that's not to say that they'd have to settle for the independent circuit if they wanted to continue to make money in the sports entertainment business.

As with most that had previous national TV exposure in the modern era, Total Nonstop Action could be a possible landing spot for them, especially after the departures that the company had over the past year. If not TNA, or at least something after a possible stint there, I could see The Acclaimed having a successful run in NXT, similar to the way that Ricky Saints and Mike Santana made the jump to the smaller pond of that brand. To speculate if Caster and Bowens would be able to make the transition to the WWE main roster would be getting too far ahead of ourselves in the process. Despite their individual contracts expiring with AEW at the same time, allowing them to work anywhere else on their own, I'd say that they should remain a package deal. Caster and Bowens had their biggest success as a team, and the argument could be made that they had more to do as a team than they were given the opportunity to do in AEW so I'd say that it makes the most sense for them to make their next move as a team. That's not meant as any type of criticism either, but instead to point out how entertaining the tag team is. When the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, it's often an indication that the act gets over so well because it was tailored to be a tag team. They are dramatic examples, but Hawk and Animal were always going to be more over as a team than singles stars. Bobby Eaton and Dennis Condrey would too good of a tag team not to pair them together on the card.

Obviously, it remains to be seen, and technically, they could reach a new contract with Tony Khan at some point in the next few weeks to stay a part of All Elite, but they would basically resign themselves to sitting in catering to collect a paycheck. I'd suggest that they have more talent than that, and the previously mentioned Mike Santana is a good example of the upside of performers that bet on themselves when management doesn't have a bigger role for them. All that being said, the biggest takeaway from this story is that the notion that performers can end their tenure in the company at virtually the same place where they started in terms of career progress or star power is a pattern in AEW.

Brawl under the bridge

Pittsburgh is a region known almost as much for its pro wrestling as the steel it once produced. Bruno was a mythical hero, Douglas was a rowdy rebel, and Angle was an Olympic champion. As much as the potpourri of ethnic backgrounds came together to form the unique blend that is western Pennsylvania, there's an equally diverse independent circuit that brings a variety of action to the area.

In an apropos setting, Homestead, a historical location for a myriad of reasons acted as a "bridge" between the industrial and entertainment roots of the steel city. The Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, a throwback to the days of Bill Cardille and Pittsburgh Studio Wrestling, had a memorable 25-year run before the finale of the promotion last December.

For nine of those years, KSWA, anchored by local legends like T. Rantula and Dennis Gregory, as well as mainstays such as Lou Martin and Shawn Blanchard, presented "Brawl Under The Bridge," a live event hosted under the Homestead Grays Bridge. A wrestling ring and hundreds of fans would pack underneath the structure that runs along the Monongahela, one of the city's well-known three rivers.

“Brawl Under the Bridge was originally a cool stop on the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance’s ever-expanding road tour. Planting the KSWA ring under the Homestead Grays Bridge in Homestead was an experience, especially for those of us like me and Bobby O who have a great affinity for baseball history. At first we brought in a wrestling “name” like James J. Dillon, who got his in-ring start in Pittsburgh. He was honored with proclamations for that distinction. KSWA featured the Rock n’ Roll Express, and in his last single’s match, Brownsville native, Demolition Ax. Nicolai Volkoff came in from Baltimore and talked glowingly about his time living in Green Tree and working Studio Wrestling as Bepo Mongol. He sang God Bless America so well I swear you could still hear him if you put your ears to the rafters underneath the bridge. , said Tom Leturgey, KSWA's longtime ring announcer, known affectionately as "Trapper" to the audience.

"The event is a wonderful community participation moment in a stunning urban setting. Mixed with the thumps of the ring are the cars rumbling overhead and an occasional train blaring past at high speed with maximum noise. The crowd packs the space, enjoying every type of food and drink available. Being part of this event is an annual highlight and a wonderful time for wrestlers, officials and fans alike," added referee, Mark Charles. 

Located in Allegheny county, the borough has its place in history as the spot of the infamous Homestead Steel strike of 1982, a brawl clash between the mill workers and the forces of corporate executives. The positive side of the Homestead narrative is that it's the home of the internationally-known Carnegie Library, and a museum dedicated to its steel heritage. The borough also has a special place in sports history as well. The Homestead Grays, one of the premiere teams of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s, was the organization that the powerful hitter, Josh Gibson played for during two different stints in the line-up. The 1972 National Baseball Hall of Famer played for the Pittsburgh Crawfords for four seasons in between his time playing for Grays.

Today, The Homestead Grays Bridge is named in honor of that pioneering Negro League team, and one of Gibson's jerseys is on display at the Heinz History Center, a five-story building that is a branch of Smithsonian Institution, located in the Strip District.

With so much culture, history, and sports background, it's easy to see why the pro wrestling presentation under the famous bridge became such an  anticipated attraction over the years. Over the course of those nine years, it became as much of a community event as it was a spectacle of the local wrestling calendars.

That's why there was such a void within the past two years since the last KSWA showcase there, particularly since the final bell of the promotion last December, prompting questions about if the popular production ended as well.

On September 19th, a new banner will be hoisted to pay homage to a Pittsburgh tradition when Ryse Wrestling, brings back the concept of Brawl Under The Bridge, right back in its signature location in Homestead.

Ryse entered its 10th year in 2026, looking to expand beyond its home base in Uniontown, a blue collar region in Fayette county, as a way to provide more live event opportunities for both fans and its roster. Founded by the legendary Brandon K in 2016, the original mission statement of the promotion was to provide a platform for the next generation of aspiring hopefuls that looked to make their name in the industry. The Stronghold Academy, the training center associated with the company, was a piece of the foundation of  the project and remains a key ingredient of the formula today. Stronghold alumni include AEW's Lee Moriarty, NXT's Thea Hail, and MLW's Lady Frost. Aside from it's usual cast of hard-working grapplers, national stars, including independent wrestling legend Delirious, Lexus King, Fandango, Ethan Carter III, Donovan Dijak, Shane Douglas, and Dr. Tom Prichard have made cameos for the promotion.

"The bridge is an iconic wrestling venue that has earned legendary status over the years. Ryse is proud to have the opportunity to continue the tradition and honor the work of KSWA and everyone who helped make The bridge such a legendary space in professional wrestling," Brandon commented.

"Brawl Under the Bridge became a Mon Valley institution. I work in the Mon Valley, and people started to ask me about it year-round. It became our largest event of the year. Those memories cannot be topped. When KSWA finished our 25-year run in 2025, so did our Brawl Under the Bridge. I hoped that an established and mainstream, family-friendly organization would pick up the mantel and Ryse Wrestling is among that very short list around Pittsburgh," added Trapper Tom.

The announcement of the September 19th event has generated a buzz around the region, both for fans of the unique setting and those that participated previously.

"I am one of the few people who have participated in the bridge event every year since 2022 through today, first with KSWA, then with FNW and now, I’m very proud to say, under the Ryse banner," Mark Charles commented.

True to its mission statement since its inception, Ryse's Brawl under The Bridge event will look to showcase much of the young talent on the roster. The dynamic Pat Angel, Jace Mara, John Lee Kirk, and Ascension champion Edric Everhart are among those already scheduled. The popular trio, White Trash Forever, including Ron Mathis, Bruce Grey, and Tyler Vox are slated to appear. Iron city icon, Gory, who broke into the sport more than two decades ago at the age of just 18, will be in action. The Troublemakers, Glenn Spectre and Canaan Kristopher, former Ohio Valley Wrestling Tag Team champions, are advertised as well.

Just a few days after the Ryse debut in Homestead, the organization will take the squared circle to the Clearfield Country Fairgrounds for live matches on September 24th as a part of the American Motor Fest. But for now, the focus shifts to September 19th when Ryse Wrestling continues the Brawl Under the Bridge tradition.

What's next for Matt Cardona?

When Matt Cardona was released from the WWE in 2020, ending a nearly 15-year tenure under contract, with almost 12 years of that time on the main roster, there was much uncertainty about not only what was next for him, but also the business as a whole. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic with many live events shuttered and limited capacity for the shows that actually took place, it was not an optimistic landscape for those that got fired at the time.

As with any round of cuts, there will be those that fade into obscurity, either using their WWE name to work a collection of alphabet soup indy groups based on that TV exposure alone, and there's nothing really wrong with that as it's a way to continue to make money as a pro wrestler, or some eventually make the jump to completely different careers. It goes without saying that it's a very individual basis on what path is best for each performer to take after they get fired from the biggest pro wrestling company in the world. For example, Health Slater, who became a sentimental favorite throughout his WWE run for his genuine enthusiasm, can use his WWE exposure to continue to be Health Slater on the independent circuit and it works for him. Again, if it pays the bills, there's nothing wrong with that, and there's definitely something to be said for the true professionals that understand how to work the independent circuit in a way that will continue to give them work over the course of time rather than relatively short payoffs. On the other hand, No Way Jose, despite being on WWE television for a brief period of time, doesn't translate to the independent scene. It was a WWE television gimmick that just doesn't have the same presentation on an independent show without the bells and whistles of the conga line.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are those that get their pink slip from the WWE and use it as an opportunity to reinvent themselves. We've seen it work to varying degrees over the past several years, and while an attempt to rejuvenate a career isn't always a home run, it's commendable that those performers are willing to take the risk outside of the comfort zone of a previous WWE gimmick that might be the easier, albeit limiting, routine compared to something fresh that may or may not get over. Braun Strowman trying to control his narrative when he was outside of the WWE didn't exactly propel his career. On the flip side, Cody Rhodes doesn't become the top guy as the American Nightmare in WWE if he didn't ask for his release years earlier when he was saddled with the Stardust character. 

When the previously mentioned Cardona was cut from the roster, he rebuilt himself, not just within his presentation as a wrestler, but also reshaped the perception of his persona in the process. The reason why it became intriguing to follow Cardona's journey was that he was a guy that pursued and became the prototypical WWE TV wrestler. That's not a knock at all, and it worked since he had a deal with the company for as long as he did, but rather to point out that the scope of the original Zack Ryder character, even throughout its evolution process, was very much tailored to the WWE style. The framework of his career, as far back as when he trained under ECW alumni, Mikey Whipwreck, was to pattern himself after the WWE playbook. He was going to be a wrestler with a gimmick that was easy to understand, a catchphrase that could be merchandised, and he was going to work a safer style since you can't draw money in the ring if you're on the shelf with an injury. In many ways, it's tough to argue with that game plan since it works, regardless of the evolution of some of the early-2000s troupes that don't apply today.

It's been well-documented and discussed how WWE management didn't utilize Zack Ryder properly when he was originally signed to a deal, and how he reinvented himself as the WWE guy that ended up working death matches in GCW. Through his hustle on the independent circuit, efforts on his podcast with Brian Myers, and the action figure line it produced, Matt Cardona made himself a money-drawing commodity outside of the WWE bubble. The impact that the Major Wrestling Figure podcast had is undeniable, as their Big Rubber Guys series, a nod to the LJNs of the 80s, is more or less the reason that Mattel has the same style of figures in Target today. The Major podcast had the proof of concept and then Mattel did it on a mainstream scale. That's not a criticism, that's capitalism, and Mattel wasn't going to leave that money on the table.

I could be wrong, but I think that one of the reasons that Cardona was re-signed to the WWE at the start of the year was specifically what he could do with merchandise and social media, especially as events like comic con become more important to launch retail sales of different products. Sure, Cardona boosted his stock as a performer in the nearly six years he was away from the WWE, and there's undoubtedly more that the company could've done with that, but his value as a asset for merchandise might've been an even bigger reason that he was offered a new deal. 

In short, it was better for the WWE to have Matt Cardona under contract so that they could get their piece of the pie rather than him getting a bigger slice, albeit of a smaller pie, on his own.

As mentioned, Cardona inked a new contract at the beginning of 2026, but outside of the return pop, the office has done virtually nothing with him in the past eight months. He lost matches on television, wasn't given any type of storyline, and was reduced to working the Main Event tapings before Smackdown. Basically, anyone on the WWE roster could've been used for the interchangeable role. I hate to say it, but within less than a year, Cardona was more or less in the same spot that he was when he was fired from the WWE six years ago. Unfortunately, he wasn't given the chance to do much else, despite the fact that he has a story that the fans already showed that they were willing to rally behind.

The situation didn't improve when Cardona suffered a torn triceps during one of the previously mentioned Main Event tapings about two weeks ago. He underwent surgery to repair the injury last week and is expected to be on the sidelines for roughly six months. I'd say that the time off could be a fresh start for him, but he just had a fresh start in January and the office did nothing with him.

Again, I hate to say this, but it seems like WWE re-signed him to snuff about some of his independent ventures, because at least with Cardona under the WWE banner, the corporation can get it's share of the market. In some ways, it reminds me of when the office booked him to get beaten into powder to snuff out his popularity years ago when he got himself over without the WWE machine behind him. I'm not trying to be a conspiracy theorist, but other than bringing his role as an influencer of the retail space in-house, what was the point of WWE signing him to a new contract?

I'd say that it goes without saying that the return of Matt Cardona to the WWE at the start of 2026 had a lot of potential, mostly because it was the classic comeback story, a narrative that the fans had already rallied behind, and he was more prepared for a bigger role in the company this year than he was during his original surge in popularity, but management didn't have any serious plans for him. This injury will put him even further down the ladder in terms of priority so when he makes a comeback to the ring, it would probably be wise for him to settle into a role similar to R-Truth, where he can excel in the roles outside of the ring with PR and social media content for the organization.