The career of the Meadows brothers

On October 11th, 2025, a crisp autumn morning with a slight chill in the air, the phone buzzed on an end table. Travis Meadows, a native of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the home base for Ryse Wrestling, the league that he and his brother worked with, got the call he was waiting for. It was a call he wasn't sure if he would get, and he didn't know if it would be a false alarm.

That call from UPMC Hospital in Pittsburgh was the call that saved his life.

He had already spent three weeks in the hospital in his hometown before he was transferred to the bigger medical facility in Pittsburgh that August. The previous few months were a complete whirlwind, as doctors searched for answers throughout the spring before the static yellow eyes of jaundice hinted that the friendly-faced fellow at the matches was in serious jeopardy.  

"It never hurt. I was uncomfortable, but never in pain. All of this suddenly, started during the summer of 2025, I was gaining weight, but I wasn't eating. It got to the point that it was impossible for me to walk Basic terms, the weight was a nasty bile in my stomach that was tearing my insides up. My liver wasn't able to process this bile and it poured out into me, Travis explained.

When his condition was stable enough, he was allowed to go home. His name was on the transplant list, but the uncertainly of if he could remain stable long enough to find a donor hung over their household like a dark cloud before a brewing thunderstorm.

"I started with a positive nature.This was all a part of the process of things wearing on me. The multiple denials of a transplant, I was coming to a point where I was begging and crying in front of this doctor for a chance. So, I became a mental wreck," Travis said.

Just a month after being placed on the list, one half of the Meadows brothers got the green light for a liver transplant.

"My liver was coming from Kentucky," Travis recounted when he recalled the disbelief that he had in the moment. 

"He got the call on for the surgery, which ended up being a go. What I mean, I'm saying that they said sometimes people get called for a transplant, but when they see the organ with their eyes, they realize that it won't work. But, this was good to go on the first try," Travis' brother, Bryan explained.

The Meadows family knew that there was a long road ahead of them, a path with potential pitfalls and road blocks. However, the family unit supported one another throughout the medical ordeal.

"My place while he was sick, I felt was to be there for everyone. Yes, for him, but to also be there equally for our mom. I was probably spending more time with her than him," Bryan commented.

"I wish I could appreciate my illness more, as odd as it sounds. I ended up viewing it as a big bad villain that ruined Bryan and my mother's life. Then, there was a chance to live again," Travis added.

The dim florescent lights in Travis' hospital room for the next few months of recovery were quite the contrast to the bight colors of World Championship Wrestling's bright colors of the early-90s, a period of their lives that bonded the brothers together through the over-the-top spectacle of professional wrestling that beamed through their television screens.

The Meadows brothers were going to channel one of their favorites from their youth, metaphorically landing a tag team Stinger splash on the villainous liver to make room for the baby face organ that would get Travis back to health.

"I started as a big WCW fan, WWF was fine, but my world revolved around WCW, he said.

"We would literally spend days in the Uniontown Mall, just hanging out while our mom worked. I was probably like nine when that started," Bryan said of their childhood.

The brothers were a package deal, they were family by blood, but best friends by choice. Naturally, when Bryan stumbled upon a flyer that advertised a pro wrestling training school in his hometown, he had to check it out. But, even though Travis didn't see himself in the ring, the duo were going to explore this sports entertainment adventure together, the same way that had spent their lives at each other's side.

"I took the card and gave it some though. I wasn't sure I could pull of being a wrestler, but thought that being a ref, I could see what that was all about. Training for a while was a new level of being in pain, but fun. I was finally seeing what I saw on TV from the other side. I got Travis into it because I am not great in new situations, but knew if I could convince him it would help," Bryan said.

"I felt like it he wasn't going to be alone with this journey," Travis added.

By the end of 2019, Bryan Meadows was the third man in the ring for Ryse Wrestling bouts, controlling the in-ring mayhem and putting down the three count. Travis became a jack-of-all trades, he did anything and everything that was needed of him, earning his proverbial stripes while his brother wore literal stripes. Travis set up chairs, filmed matches or interviews, and also conducted interviews on any given event. The two became warm faces around the locker room that greeted everyone with a smile, a sign of their genuine enthusiasm.

"When I was the interviewer, as well as the camera man before that, I was becoming an excited child to get the show and see what was happening. I rushed through my day to get to this moment," Travis commented.

So, when the news broke on social media of Travis' medical emergency, as well as the Meadows brothers' absence from the live events while he was in the hospital, dozens of messages of support flooded in from their pro wrestling peers to wish him well. When Bryan could make it to an event while Travis was healing at home in late-2025, it wasn't uncommon for the phone to be passed around so that Travis could hear from his friends.

Just a few months ago, Travis was able to return to Ryse Wrestling live events, still building up his strength from the life-threatening experience, but beaming with a smile to be back among not only the crew, but in the atmosphere that bonded the brothers together more than thirty years ago, professional wrestling.

"I love being at the shows. Everyone there are not just my friends, but my family now and I want the best for them. I took reffing away from Bryan, but now the best feeling in the world is watching him ref. He is at his best now," Travis said of his comeback.

"The biggest take away besides being able to do some amazing things, is just the amount of people that our now great friends that we wouldn't have if we didn't do this at all," added Bryan.

Despite the peaks and valleys of the health scare that startled their entire family, the ritual to get prepared for an evening of grappling remains the same for them.

"After loading the car with whatever we need for the show like gear bags, snacks, and any different drinks we might want for the rest of the day, we work until about 3 PM that day. After work, we head to the venue. Once there, we make our rounds and start to get ready for the show. He sees what he needs to do, and I get dressed and get my assignment," Bryan commented.

Travis Meadows found himself on the canvas with a liver that turned heel on him, as just a year ago, he was pondering what his life would be, or if he'd have any life at all. With a little help from his friends, his pro wrestling peers with their rallying support, Travis made the comeback with his own baby face fire to return to the road of good health with a new liver to lead the way. Of course, Travis couldn't have done that with his brother, Bryan in his corner. 

Travis answered the bell, and how he can watch his brother make the three count inside the squared circle once again.  

"I am enjoying the small things more. Popcorn, Nutty Buddy bars ,and smelling brewed coffee. How quieting things can get in the early mornings. I'm Enjoying people more, people are surprisingly cool," Travis concluded.

Ilja Dragunov exits WWE

The extremely talented Ilja Dragunov will exit the WWE after his contract expired this week, according to PWInsider's Mike Johnson, the most accurate reporter of wrestling news in the industry. There's speculation that WWE would've re-signed the Moscow native, but he opted to allow his deal to expire since the writing team had nothing for him after his last on-screen appearance on Smackdown in April.

First, it should be noted that if the creative team doesn't have anything for someone of the caliber of Dragunov, especially with the modern presentation of the product, that says more about their lack of ability to script the shows than it does of his skills. That being said, the circumstances of this departure follow somewhat of a pattern for the European grappler throughout much of his association with WWE. 

For whatever reason, timing or circumstances beyond his control kept him from truly finding a fit within the TKO corporation.

When the European indies were drawing big crowds and thus making legitimate money during the mid-2010s, the WWE took notice. If there was serious money to be made in the market, the company was going to use its media muscle to get a piece of the pie. Instead of risking any discontent with the audience there, the WWE established working agreements with Progress, ICW, and other more local leagues, with the initiative for more exposure for the region rather than an American takeover.

When NXT UK was officially announced in 2018, there was a lot of sizzle behind it, because the notion that those stars could also work with the previously mentioned established groups gave the impression that the European scene would have its biggest international platform in its history through the WWE Network. 

Of course, Ilja Dragunov was one of the featured stars.

Who knows if it would've been possible for the WWE to truly get an NXT UK brand off the ground? I have my doubts, if for no other reason than the logistics and travel involved that would make it expensive, or outright cost prohibitive. Sure, the NFL is going to import more games outside of the domestic market this season, and there are rumors of a potential expansion team down the road, but even one team isn't the same as an entire league or "brand" in the case of WWE. They tried NFL European in a few different forms for several years, but it never gained any serious traction. You don't need NFL Lite if you can get the NFL. In that respect, I'm not sure TKO, would've made the investment to put a complete set up in England for NXT UK to seriously be able to run as its own project, nor am I sure the market would be able to sustain the project on a long-term basis that would justify that type of investment from WWE.

Keep in mind, for the WWE to plant its on flag with an England-based organization, you're not just talking about putting the talent on contracts, there are the office staff, the marketing team, and the cost of venues. That's where the NFL Europe comparison applies, if TKO gave London its own full-fledged WWE promotion, it could theoretically take away the draw of Raw, Smackdown, and the pay-per-views. We've seen how lucrative that part of the globe has been as a part of TKO's international expansion. Furthermore, if a talent got majorly over on a British brand to that point that the office thought they could be a star on the global level, they would've been shifted to Raw or Smackdown to maximize their potential so there would be an unintentional ceiling on the regional project.

Unfortunately, the prospects of NXT UK were moot, as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the brand, and the majority of that roster, which consisted of the top guys from the European independent scene, were either moved to the domestic brands or released by 2022. Dragunov had an absolutely incredible match with Gunther at one of the closed tapings in NXT UK, but after an injury, he debuted in America in September of 2022.

The European brand suited his persona and his style, and despite the success of an NXT title run, and eventually a stint as US champion on Smackdown after a torn ACL that required surgery put him on the shelf for almost a year, it just seems like Dragunov never really found his place among the WWE landscape. As simplistic as it might sound, maybe Dragunov wasn't "sports entertainment enough" for the biggest sports entertainment company in the world. Don't get me wrong, he's a tremendous professional wrestler, and could still be an asset to the WWE roster, but his style is so centric to an almost niche presentation of the genre that it's not automatic that he would connect with the casual WWE fan. Billy Bob wearing the John Deer hat isn't going to be able to easily identify with the catch-as-catch-can grappling style, and neither will the younger demographic that tune into the pay-per-views to see what Logan Paul or IShowSpeed are doing. That's not a knock on Dragunov either, some guys just aren't as suited to the WWE format, and it's not a new notion either. Stan Hansen, Dynamite Kid, and Abdullah The Butcher weren't in their heyday. Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, and Nick Gage probably wouldn't today.

For Ilja Dragunov, his in-ring work wasn't going to be a question, he had quality performances his entire WWE run, but if the writing team didn't think his character was going to connect with the audience then that might explain why he was under the radar in recent months, even if they should've found something for him on the shows.

At 32, Dragunov is still in the prime of his career, and if the office didn't have plans for him, it's easy to see why he would at least test the waters of free agency instead of signing a new contract to wait in catering to see if or when management had a direction for him.

It goes without saying that All Elite Wrestling will be the place that most will expect him to land, mostly because it's where he can earn comparative money to what he was presumably making in WWE, and truth be told, since his deal expired,  allowing him to work anywhere immediately, rather than being released, which would've put him under the standard 90-day no compete clause, chances are he will show up at All In next weekend. Still, beyond the artificial debut pop, and it would be massive in London, there's no reason to believe that Tony Khan would know what to do with him any more than the WWE writing team did. Sure, Tony would be the matchmaker to put him in the ring with Omega, Fletcher, and  Ospreay. Dave Meltzer might give each of those bouts 85 stars, but beyond that, would Tony Khan be able to make Dragunov a bigger star? Will Ilja Dragunov become more well known or lost in the shuffle in AEW?

That's why my two cents on the matter would be for Dragunov to ink a deal with New Japan Pro Wrestling, as the organization looks to rebuild itself after the recent sale to Cyber Agent. Granted, it's less money than he would probably be offered in the United States, but the organization is much more suited to his style, and given his tenure in WWE, he would get the chance to get a solid push in the Japanese league. Dragunov would not only be well suited there, but taking into account that he's still young, he could completely rejuvenate his career there to be able to return to the United States with a boosted market value in a few years.

Renegade Rumble

They say professional wrestling is about the moments.

I don't have a moment where I discovered pro wrestling, I've watched it as long as I can remember. Magazines from when I was just three years ago, only to look at the pictures, was the way to document the timeline. Survivor Series 1992, a used copy from Blockbuster, was the first commercial wrestling VHS tape I owned. Five-year-old Jim protested that Lex Luger's feet touched the floor first at the 1994 Royal Rumble, which would've made Bret Hart, my first favorite wrestler, the winner of the prestigious match up.

That same year, in an example of the innocence of childhood, my kindergarten, "what I want to be when I grow up" picture was a sloppily drawn blue Hasbro ring, complete with black turnbuckles, with two even sloppier stick figures drawn in the makeshift squared circle. I wanted to grow up to be a pro wrestler. The fact that I already had a major leg surgery, and would have more in the future, to help me be able to walk was irrelevant. Sure, I had to use a walker to get into the building, but I was going to be a wrestler, and I wasn't going to be the Dennis Stamp of dreamers (no disrespect to the late Mr. Stamp), I planned to be WWF champion, even if that meant taking the title from the previously mentioned Bret.

In middle school, my neighbors and I would script, preform, and record our own matches. We had different characters, outfits, and storylines. We were all around the same age, but this was serious stuff. Yes, we had to negotiate finishes to keep the peace between the middle school kids. Of course, after some of the neighborhood parents were nice enough to suffer through our one-hour display of pro wrestling prosperity, we had to watch the recorded VHS tape back immediately to see the results of a exhibition that we did legitimately put time into with idea that this kid project was important enough to justify all the details.  

Somewhere along the way, roughly when I was 14, I realized that maybe main eventing Wrestlemania wasn't in my future. There's something to be said about that too, sometimes believing in dreams is less about what age that you allow yourself to believe them, and more about finding ways to live the dream, regardless of age.

Still, I wanted to find a way to be involved in the sport. I had stumbled upon Pittsburgh's independent scene in the early-2000s. Norm Connors, the godfather of the indy circuit of the steel city, promoted events that had Shane Douglas, AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, and others. Attending one of those shows on November 1, 2003, dubbed "November Pain" had a major impact on the direction I took. By the time I started college, I began working as a ringside photographer for some of the local groups. Quinn Magnum, a 30-year veteran that has worked as a behind-the-scenes organizer for most of that time, allowed me to contribute, and the following year, knowing that I was a Corporate Communications major, I was given the chance to become a play-by-play announcer at a time when DVDs were the standard media format.

Since that first event I called in June of 2009, I've had the privilege to be involved in the wrestling business for literally half of my life. After that rookie year as a photographer, the opportunity to be a commentator is something that I've always taken seriously, both out of respect for those that are risking their bodies in the ring, as well as the business itself.

I currently work for Ryse Wrestling, the Renegade Wrestling Alliance, and the West Virginia-based Victory Championship Wrestling. Regardless of if it's a current group, or one of the defunct leagues that I worked for years ago, I was proud that I always try to give my best. On the mic, the promotional materials that I work on for the events, or anything else with the product, I feel an obligation to be a worthwhile investment for each organization.

So, I had found my spot in the business, and was more than content with that. Granted, sometimes the wrestling industry will drive you absolutely insane, and sometimes I can understand why Jim Cornette is known for his famous temper, but the madness is a part of the fun. For the record, I'm like to point out that I've never attempted to climb through the drive-thru window at Dairy Queen.

A few years ago when Quinn, who has been a mentor for many over the years, took his booking talents to the previously mentioned RWA, a blue collar league in West Newton, Pennsylvania, he asked if I'd like to join the media team when schedules allowed. I started there in January of 2024 and those already involved with the media side were very gracious to allow me to be involved, especially when they didn't have to.

The voice of RWA since its inception, Mike "Doc" Daugherty, had recently been joined by Jason Gray a few months earlier. The devious Tony Kincaid, who is a color analyst for a handful of promotions in the area, was set to branch out as a manager at ringside, using his verbal skills to rile up the audience. It should be noted that the West Newton crowd was built brick-by-brick under the direction of promoter Derek Widziszewski, and his passion for professional wrestling is stitched into the fabric of the promotion. Stepping through the doors of the West Newton gym is almost like jumping into a time machine, as the fans whole-heartedly support the "good guys," while equally despising the villains. I've seen security have to keep the audience in order more than once.

RWA's relatively-new annual battle royal tradition, the Renegade Rumble, was designed, in an effort to set itself apart from the typical format, to include anyone in the building as eligible for the match. In the inaugural Renegade Rumble, dedicated cameraman, Matt Carlins from the indywrestling.us crew, unexpectedly had his number called. Carlins entered the squared circle, dodged a villain that went flying over the ropes before he got out of dodge himself, and has legitimately not been seen at a wrestling event since his impromptu in-ring debut.

The point being, anyone could be involved, opening the door for surprise entrants from the local scene that hadn't appeared for RWA before. Last June, RWA had an event that saw the culmination of a few of its longtime rivalries since the organization planned to take July off from its usual monthly schedule. After the final bell of the night, as I sat backstage drenched in sweat from wearing a suit for the previous three hours, I jokingly said to Quinn, "hey, am I in the Rumble?" Quinn commented that it was possible since there are thirty spots for the match. I didn't think much of it, especially with the extra month between events, but just two days before the Rumble, I was alerted that it was indeed possible that I could get called into the battle royal.

I've heard enough around the pro wrestling business to never believe it until it happens so I kept the potential in-ring involvement to myself. After I got to the building on that humid August day, I told referee George, who is one of the most traveled officials on the independent scene, "Hey George, if I'm in the Rumble, I need you to help me get down the ramp and up the steps." Considering that I'm usually sarcastic, George laughed it off. The eight scars that decorate my legs from various surgeries would keep me at the desk, right?

I told Quinn that if I hypothetically ended up in the Rumble, longtime veteran and owner of the previously mentioned Ryse Wrestling, Brandon K, who was a surprise entrant, would be my go-to for any involvement. Knowing that I could possibly end up inside the ropes on this unpredictable night, I traded my usually Johnny Cash-inspired black dress shirt for the classic Terry Funk t-shirt under my suit jacket. Terry had such a passion and dedication to the sport that if I had to chance to get called, I wanted to honor him in some small way.

The broadcast began and it was mostly business as usual, with Doc, Jason, and I calling the matches for the indywrestling.us live stream. During intermission, I finally took off the suit jacket since the venue had become a sauna. In the main event, the Renegade Rumble began and had its share of surprises, as along with Brandon making his return to RWA, the stellar Andrew Palace made his debut in the bout. At number 24, Tony Kincaid was selected, and despite his objections, Derek pitched the villainous manager into the squared circle, where he might finally get what he deserved for all of his dastardly actions with his usual stable.

The booming voice of ring announcer, Hank Hudson counted down, and at #25, I was officially announced for this battle royal. At first, I protested when I saw my name pop up on our monitor, but Kincaid, who found safety alongside one of his clients, dared me to enter this match. Obviously, if the commentator is going to do something in a match, it would only make sense for there to be a spot with another non-wrestler. I didn't plan on any arm drags and definitely not any drop kicks. As I assured Kincaid that I wasn't afraid of him and took my headset off to go to the ring, I still wasn't 100% sure how exactly this might go. Hypothetically speaking, I might've been given a general description of how I could potential handle this scenario if it happened, but I hadn't even practiced getting into the ring if my number was called. As I got through the curtain, referee George appeared out of nowhere to help me down the ramp and encouraged me to get to the ring, as I yelled some of the usual wrestling jargon in the direction of Kincaid. I found out later that George thought I was kidding when I mentioned this possible scenario earlier in the night so he was as surprised as anyone when he heard my name, which makes it all the more commendable that he got to the top of the ramp as fast as he did.

The second official, Jeff Jefferies helped me through the ropes, and as I felt the canvas beneath me, it was literally a surreal moment. I was officially a participant in an official pro wrestling match, a notion that I chalked up to childhood innocence years earlier as something that just wasn't realistic. Considering that mobility isn't known to be my strong suite, the villainous Kincaid, nor the audience expected me to answer the bell on this one. Stunned at this development of determined, albeit limited mobility, Kincaid backed into Brandon K and fellow fan favorite John Rodin, another surprise return for the bout. I was focused and pumped, but I sincerely wanted to make sure that the spot made sense and wasn't an insult to the business. I have too much respect for the industry for something that would be fun to take precedent over the concept of a spot that works for the presentation. Sure, this was a moment where I literally couldn't believe what was going on, but the priority was that it worked for the audience. I unintentionally threw some profanity toward Kincaid, which thankfully wasn't picked up by the ringside cameras.

After Kincaid backed into the good guys, he immediately took a powder over the ropes to escape them. But, I had a brief moment of confrontation, as the devious manager pleaded innocence. I took a minute to imply that I was going to be understanding by putting my hands up in a non-threatening fashion before I pushed the menacing manager off the apron to officially eliminate him from the contest. I was absolutely shocked that the crowd reacted, which says more about Tony's ability to be a heat magnet than anything to do with me. In a somewhat wholesome visual, Brandon and Rodin raised my hands as flashes from ringside photographers captured it. Quickly, I told my wrestling pals, no more, I took care of Kincaid and wanted to get back to the desk so in a fashion that would make Mil Mascaras proud, I voluntarily left the Rumble, informing Hank Hudson that I had to go back to the desk to call the rest of the event.

Truthfully, I can't recount the exact details of getting to the floor from the ring, other than Brandon and Robin were kind enough to help me, but I was so focused on getting out of the way that I don't recall who was holding the ropes for me. Thankfully, just as my dress shoes touched the gym floor, the next entrant, who was scheduled to go through the curtain exactly one minute after I got to the apron at the start, was announced. We hit our cue. As I tried to get back up the ramp as fast as I could to get back to the broadcast position, I was also surprised that the fans were nice enough to chant my name. I'm not a star, but it was very nice to know that the crowd enjoyed the spot. I got through the curtain completely exhausted, as despite being a total runtime of just 1 minute and 54 seconds, in all the commotion, I forgot the typical task to breathe. Still backstage, a very meaningful hug was exchanged and I said thank you. There wasn't time to get too sappy, though. I had to get back to my headset to finish the call for a bout that saw J-Rocc, a nearly 30-year pro, win the Rumble to get a title shot, an opportunity he later used to win the RWA Heavyweight championship late last year.

When I reflected on this in-ring debut earlier this year in recognition of 18 years since I started in the business this past March, I thought of the fact that not only have I had the chance to be involved in the pro wrestling industry half of my life, but taking into the scope of the situation, it's an example of how much pro wrestling helped me get through the hurdles of life. Obviously, the announcer eliminating the manager is a gimmick spot, it wasn't going to make or break the segment, but based on the reaction, it contributed to the overall presentation.

They say pro wrestling is about the moments. I'm not sure if my in-ring cameo was a moment for anyone else, but it was a memorable moment for me. The 2026 edition of the Renegade Rumble is this Saturday at the West Newton gym. Thankfully, I've been assured that I will only have to call the event from the desk this year. 

Olde Wrestling August 30th event

The professional wrestling business has existed for more than a century, and one of the many reasons that it survived the tragedies and controversies, as well as flourished as a part of pop culture, over the decades, was its ability to take different forms, not only over the course of time, but around the world as well.

Jim Londos drew record-setting crowds throughout the first few decades of the 1900s in the United States. El Santo was so much of a real-life superhero for the people his country, fighting villains in the ring and on-screen in films, that a statue immortalized him in Mexico City. Antonio Inoki, Giant Baba, and their mentor, Rikidozan maintain mythical status in Japan to this day. Stu Hart was the patriarchy of Canada's wrestling royal family. The UK's infamous Snake Pit gym in Wigan was was responsible for bringing names like Billy Robinson and Dynamite Kid into the ring.

There's no doubt that each location and its style brought something to the table that is the melting pot on sports entertainment. As we know, even the most sturdy roots of the grappling arts evolve over the course of time, as it's one of the previously mentioned ways that the industry survived, it often moves with the direction of society to be able to stay current with its audience.

The multimillion dollar productions of 2026 certainly surpass the scope of the humid stadiums for matches in Puerto Rico of a bygone era, the smokey venues of the golden age of the northeast when Gorgeous George strutted to the ring in all of his splendor before huffing from a box of "imported Florida air" to get ready for battle, or the saunas that were the venues of the heyday in the south, a time period when fans packed into shoulder-to-shoulder, ignoring building codes for a true sell out at the matches. Sputnik Monroe wasn't concerned about air conditioning when his efforts allowed for the desegregation of the wrestling contest in Memphis in 1959. The Mid-South Coliseum in that city was known for its souvenirs in the years that followed, the $0.50 program, and the special full-color photos that were sold for a dollar. 

Today, t-shirts are usually $35, a hotdog will be about $9 and a Coca-Cola will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $6. That's not to mention that tickets to modern extravaganzas can literally be in the range of a car payment.

Maybe things have evolved too far?

Of course, professional wrestling, in its simplest form, originated on the carnival circuit. The barker at the entry of a tent would call in the audience, accepting challengers for that evening's pro. Any takers would often be tempted with a cash prize. The audience that shuffled in around ringside saw these local-yokels get pummeled by the trained professional before they went to see the fire breathers, the acrobats, and the jugglers.

Considering the over-the-top spectacle that professional wrestling became, a genre with giants, minis, and dead men walking, maybe the genesis from the circus is apropos.

There's one project based in the Buckeye state of Ohio that uses the nostalgia for that bygone era as its centerpiece. The seed of the idea was planted and cultivated by Justin Nottke, known inside the ring ropes as Marion Fontaine, a throwback persona himself, for more than two decades.

"Back in 2013, I had the idea of running my own show, but I gave myself one rule,i t can't be like any regular show. There should be something unique about it, something that hasn't been or is rarely done. Someone suggest 'doing a show where everyone is old timey', and Olde Wrestling was born," Nottke explained.

For more than a decade, Olde Wrestling has put a vaudeville spin on the squared circle that would make Moe Howard proud. Sure, Moe swatted his real-life brothers, Curly and Shemp, as well as their close friend, Larry Fine out of frustration rather than competition, but the Olde Wrestling brand made a name for itself through a whirling dervish of slapstick violence.

"I never could have envisioned all the things we've done. My dad built a 15 ft tall cage out of chicken wire and two-by-fours. That very cage match decided the future of prohibition in America. My good friend John Brickner has played William Howard Taft and even delivered a few body slams and clotheslines as the former President and Secretary of Slams. Tracy Smothers wrestled a 'bear.' Derek Dillinger and Jody Nation have killed multiple referees and a mayor via axe. So needless to say, it's gone beyond my initial vision in the best and most ridiculous ways," Justin said.

"It's been appealing for talent that want to participate. Early on, I was selling the idea to many of my wrestling friends. Now that we've been around for a while, wrestlers in the community have heard of it and want to take part or they've heard from other wrestlers how fun the experience is and how they may play a completely different character than usual. MJF played a cocky (hard to believe) golfer named Sandy Bunker. Ruby Soho who did shows before going to WWE, returned as Ruby the Riveter after joining AEW. Effy plays a death-defying motorcycle driver, FE Davidson," he added  

While a full-time career in marketing outside of pro wrestling keeps Nottke busy, he has found a way to juggle that with the expanding footprint of his vintage project, specifically over the past few years. What started as a potential one-off on his home turf ventured into the neighboring states of Michigan and Indiana. That first experimental production in 2013 will grew into Olde Wrestling's 50th presentation this year. Along with that, there are 11 events slated for 2026, the most of a calendar year for the organization.

Still, despite the national stars that make their way through the time machine that is Olde Wrestling, and the road trips to other states,  Nottke cited his hopes to continue to make his wrestling project a part of the fabric of his home state. Many of the events serve as showcase attractions at local festivals or the state fair, requiring Nottke to trade his boots for dress shoes when he pitches the concept to board members and the Chamber of Commerce. So far, 67 of the 88 counties in the Buckeye state hosted Olde Wrestling, giving it a very grassroots foundation, which is very on brand for the promotion. The exploration of locations led the company to hold two of their 2026 events in an opera house that was true to the time period of the presentation.

"I often write shows with the mindset of starting and ending a story in one night. You never know if fans will follow your every move or attend every show, so I really enjoy wrapping up a story by the end of the night. Over time, I feel I've gotten better at laying it out and making it very easier for fans to understand and follow along. Many fans are families, so we try to appeal to everyone in a way that allows them to connect," Nottke said.

The unique characters, storylines, confrontations and debacles are all important ingredients in the Olde stew of entertainment, but the interactive nature of the live spectacle takes the experience to the next level. It's not just the stellar roster of names like Matt Cross, Rickey Shane Page, Cowpoke Paul, Gianni Emricko, and others that embrace the golden era trends, the fans have fun with the concept as well.

"Fans have gotten into the immersive experience and dressed in period attire. Flapper dresses, seersucker suits, suspenders, and more. They want to play a part in the overall presentation and make it feel more authentic. Some women have dressed in gowns with feathers and pearls. I could have never imagined that, but it shows the commitment others are willing to put in to help our show standout," Nottke remarked.

On August 30th. Olde Wrestling will host arguably it's biggest event in its history when former WWE and current Total Nonstop Action world champion, Nic Nemeth, a native of Cleveland will make his Olde debut when the promotion brings its brand of action to the Huron County Fairgrounds in Norwalk Ohio.

"He's from Cleveland and has wanted to do an Olde Wrestling show for a little while now. Luckily, this date lines up perfectly with his busy schedule. He'll be involved in the search for the next 'Golden Boy.' Our sponsor, Golden Fragrance is looking for its next poster boy and it could be Nic Nemeth, Handsome Harley, Carson Drake or Gorgeous Gregory. More than one of these men might even fight to earn the honor. There's real excitement about a former WWE and current TNA champion coming to a town of under 18,000 residents," Justin commented.

With the world titleholder of one of the top pro wrestling companies in the United States scheduled as the headliner, the throwback event on August 30th in Norwalk serves as somewhat of a culmination of the past 13 years of the efforts that brought Olde Wrestling together. Despite its homage to the past, the future also look bright for the vintage brand of the sport.

"It definitely became what I envisioned and more. We've gained a following of people who truly enjoy our presentation of wrestling. It's where both diehard independent fans and casual fans alike chant 'huzzah' and 'horsefeathers.' I'd like to think we've cornered the market on that. It's grown from this idea into something that has pleasantly consumed my life. I've affectionately called it my biggest art project," Nottke concluded.

The career of Colt Johnson

As a commentator on the Pittsburgh independent scene, you see numerous aspiring hopefuls jump into the pro wrestling business, sometimes because they happened to discover that there was a wrestling school within thirty minutes of their house. Some of these trainees mean well and give their best effort, but aren't cut out for the industry. Usually, that means that there can find a role outside of the ring, and there's nothing wrong with that. Every show needs a head of the ring crew, a head of security, and someone to assist with the clerical duties. There are also other dreamers that have their heads so far in the clouds that they are completely clueless to the fact that they have no business in the business. These yo-yos are as coordinated as Frankenstein on rollerskates, and the closest that they get to sports entertainment stardom is career mode in the latest 2K video game.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are young athletes that have a natural poise for the squared circle, and as a result, they show a level  of skill well beyond their experience level.

On such example is Ohio native, Colt Johnson, who broke into the industry just two years ago when he was barely out of high school. Upon meeting this humble youngster before the Ryse Wrestling event, which was held in Monroeville, Pennslyvania in April, I immediately put the verbal boots to him when I scolded him for being young and hopeful, considering that he has been alive only slightly longer than the 18 years I've been in the wrestling business. Usually, I borrow the same line that Pittsburgh legend, Super Hentai used when I met him behind-the-scenes at a local show years ago. He asked, how long have you been in the business, kid?" Before I could answer, he answered for me, proclaiming, "the answer is not long enough!" before he playfully assumed me he was just joking around.

"I started really getting into wrestling in 2016, specifically the 2016 Smackdown shows always stuck out to me. Guys like Ziggler and Ambrose were my guys back in that era, and in hindsight, it's pretty funny on account of the fact they are both Ohio guys.which is where I'm from," Colt commented.

By 2023, the same year that marked 15 years in the business for me, working primarily on the Pittsburgh circuit, Colt was just getting ready to graduate high school in the Buckeye state. The milestone of graduation also opened up a door for him that shaped his current path, when the MEGA group not only put on an event for Colt graduation party, he underwent pro wrestling training to be able to entertain the guests that attended.

"We talked it over with MEGA and, not only would they do it, but they also offered to train me for eight weeks for me to be able to wrestle at my graduation party. I had my first match in my own backyard at my party, and after that I just kept going as I fell in love with it. I knew had I not stuck with it I would've regretted it forever," he explained.

Aside from giving him a hard time just for fun, giving my condolences to his riding partner that night in April for the thought of being confirmed to a car with the twenty-year-old for almost three hours, I took down some notes, which emphasized how prepared he truly was for a path in sports entertainment.

"I played a little football and Basketball but I played baseball for 13 years. I was relatively good at it, but my heart was never in it. After I got the opportunity to wrestle, something my heart was very much in, I started taking things like diet and lifting more seriously because I wanted to look as much like a pro wrestler as I possibly could, and I still hold myself to that to this day," he remarked.

It didn't take long for Colt to get noticed, as he already secured a sponsorship with the Bucked Up supplement line.  

In a true example of the switch that flips when the red light comes on in show business, the quiet kid that chuckled at my verbal jabs backstage, burst through the curtain that night in Monroeville for the opening match in full "Southern Sinner," his pro moniker, mode. What stood out about the young man was that he was in character from the time he hit the curtain, he carried himself like he knew who he was and what he was trying to accomplish. He didn't look like he was overthinking what he should do to play the role of a pro wrestling heel. Instead, he simply because that villainous persona for the segment that he spent in front of the paying audience.

"The kid gets it," said Patrick Hayes, longtime veteran of the tri-state arena, when he discussed his match against Colt Johnson at a community center in Ohio from a few months ago.

"When I first started, I wanted to be a moves guys for lack of a better term. After I got further and further into my training I learned pretty quickly that being a moves guy hurts, and in terms of moves ,everybody can do everything for the most part now. So, I try to work smarter, I try my best to come up with moves that I can say are my moves that no one else really does. Also, I found my footing on promos about a year into my career, and now I have the confidence to make people cheer or boo me without having to do any moves at all. I personally believe that is a skill that all pro wrestlers should have," Johnson said.

As I called the Colt Johnson vs. Avalanche Adams match for the Ryse showcase that spring night, I noticed those same intangibles. Colt Johnson walked, talked, and moved like a sinner. His in-ring maneuvers were crisp and smooth. Part of the independent wrestling genre is the chance for the young lions to get the valuable experience of working in front of a live crowd. So, by nature not everything is going to be perfect, and it doesn't need to be since watching the evolution of these athletes is one of the most compelling parts of the local level of the industry. However, Colt Johnson checked all the boxes for what promoters look for when they try to find a young guy with potential that can count on as a solid addition to their events.

Of course, the devious performer stole the victory, but impressed the right people in the process, as he became a regular at Ryse events over the past few months.

Aside from the fundamentals, which Colt polishes on a regular basis, as he continues to log time in at MEGA's training center, the next generation grappler also keeps pace with the current climate of sports entertainment, knowing the importance of social media in the modern age. When I started, DVDs were still the media standard, but Colt Johnson juggles a few different media platforms as he sees the value in standing out from the pack in the crowded independent landscape.

"Any pro wrestler in the current era should be making an attempt to have some semblance of a social media following. I was doing a few different ideas and I eventually found my niche that worked for me. I am currently at just over 30K followers across all my platforms. My best month, I had 6.5 million views just on Facebook alone, and that was really all the motivation I needed to keep going. Since the tail end of last year, I have posted three videos every day. Keeping that content fresh is always something I'm trying to do with the style of content I make that built-in general outline helps for what the videos will look and sound like. Generally, what I do is whenever I am at the gym, I will try and come up with three new topics for the day in between sets," he said.

With that type of forethought already in more just two years into the sport, Colt already looks ahead to the big picture of the industry,

"I have one major goal with pro wrestling, being be able to make a full-time living. Everyone wants to be able to do what they love for a living and that, for me, is professional wrestling, Right now ,I'm chasing the dream of being able to become a pro wrestler full time, but I am very open to any and all opportunities for a living of anything in the pro wrestling business," he concluded," Colt concluded.

So, how long has Colt Johnson been in the business?

The answer actually is not long enough because the talented youngster has the skills to contributed a lot more to the industry in the future. 

UFC 330

This weekend, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will present its UFC 330 pay-per-view at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. With two title fights at the top of the line-up, the under card is woefully forgettable, which is a result of putting as many names as management did on the White House card for the orange blob's birthday party in June.

Still, the MMA group is just a part, albeit an important part, of the much bigger machine, with a much bigger mission statement. Last year, Paramount, the corporation that has a deal in place to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery, signed the UFC to a massive seven-year contract worth $7.7 billion dollars with the intention of using the MMA league as another tent pole of its Paramount+ streaming service. Under the previous ESPN contract, the price of UFC pay-per-views ballooned to a staggering $79.99, which didn't include the subscription fee to that specific streaming platform to just get the option to pay to order the event. In short, the UFC hit its ceiling in terms of what consumers were going to spend on its premium shows, especially based on the level of star power that was available at the time, given the dynamics of the organization over the past several years.

It was a full circle moment of sorts, as the UFC used Spike TV twenty years earlier to build its stars and the sport on a continuous basis to be able to sell pay-per-views at a much cheaper price than it was two decades later. Spike TV offered exposure for the brand to the casual sports fan so the general public became more aware of the events, as well as the fighters themselves, prompting the original surge in popularity in the early-2000s. Sure, the ESPN deal translated into dollars because of how much the product was put behind a paywall, but the other side of the coin was that it prevented more fighters from becoming stars to the previously mentioned general public.

The Paramount deal flipped the script on that, while trying to keep up with the evolving media landscape. Some of UFC programming could be broadcast back on linear channels again because of the amount of networks under the Paramount umbrella, but most importantly, the biggest cards, the pay-per-views that were $79.99 previously before the ESPN fee, were included in the standard $7.99 subscription to the Paramount+ platform. The UFC brand became expotentially easier to afford and more accessible to the casual sports fans again.

Furthermore, as UFC management theoretically builds another generation of stars after the abrupt retirement of Jon Jones, the debacle of Conor McGregor, and the exit of other aging fighters, there isn't nearly as much pressure to have to sell the audience on the pay-per-views. It's an unintentional benefit of moving to the bulk-pricing model, the line-up doesn't have to be as stacked to justify the lower price.

On paper, the UFC 330 fight card wouldn't be worth the $80 that it would've cost two years ago, but for 10% of price, along with the other content on the service, it becomes an inexpensive way to watch two title fights. Plus, there's always the potential for one of the undercard fights to surprise the audience with a great performance.

In the main event, Islam Makhachev, who fought just once on the Paramount platform before, a unanimous decision victory over Jack Della Maddalena to claim the Welterweight Championship at UFC 322, will defend the belt against Ian Garry, a gritty Irishman with just one blemish on his pro record. Makhachev, who also only has one career defeat, has quietly put himself in the record books over the past few years, racking up the most defenses of the UFC Lightweight title with four before he tied the longest win streak in the history of the organization at 16, with the win on the score cards for the Della Maddalena bout. He vacated the 155 LBS belt in mid-2025 before he won for the 170 LBS championship last November.

Aside from training at the same gym, the American Kickboxing Academy, as well as their shared Russian background, Makhachev has drawn comparisons to Khabib Nurmagomedov for the similarities to his well-rounded and relentless style. That's why the pick for the winner of this fight is rather simplistic, at least in terms of reasoning. That's not to say that Ian Garry is a tomato can, he's not, and his record of 17-1 proves that. However, Makhachev is more well-rounded and more experience, with victories over better competition so I have to pick him to retain the title. Of course, anything can happen in MMA, which is what makes the sport so much fun to follow, but I'd say that Makhachev probably gets the victory with a submission.

While Mackenzie Dern defending the UFC Women's Straw Weight championship against Gillian Robertson is basically a toss up, the night could be a coronation of sorts for Makhachev. Despite being a champion in two divisions throughout his UFC career, the Russian fighter doesn't get nearly as much fanfare as you might expect from those accomplishments. Some of that has to do with the lack of continuity within the divisions themselves, but with a strong showing, Makhachev could propel himself to another level of stardom for the organization.

That's where the UFC plays its part in the bigger picture of the Paramount business plan, a scope that has a lot of moving parts that can impact the overall media landscape. Essentially, the UFC was brought into the fold with that mega $7.7 billion deal to draw in the younger demographic that is often associated with MMA. Based on Paramount's earning reports earlier this year, the UFC has done that, garnering enough additional subscribers to get the total of Paramount subscriptions close to 80 million. Still, the corporation has reported substantial losses of $573 million recently, partially because of the payments of the UFC contract. This is where the broader scope comes into the picture, as the buyout of Warner Brothers Discovery is currently the subject of a lawsuit by nearly a dozen states because of anti-trust concerns. Warner Brothers and Discover merged a few years ago, but the buyout is the subject of controversy, mostly because Paramount CEO, David Ellison is a longtime associate of Donald Trump. The theoretical concern is that if the buyout is approved, it further condenses the media under one banner, specifically CNN, a network critical of the current administration, could be disbanded entirely, technically disrupting the distribution of information to the public.

The $110 billion deal isn't set to go to court until March of next year, prompting fees for current Paramount shareholders that would start in October if the sell isn't finalized before that. This gives Paramount the incentive to discard CNN from the deal in an effort to get the sale to be official. Regardless of how long it takes, when Paramount gets control of at least most of the Warner Brothers Discovery video libraries, it adds even more content that can be used to generate more subscribers in the process of making massive profits. Aside from the political implications of such a buyout, from a content perspective, this takes another step toward the downside of traditional television with more of a focus on streaming platforms. With HBO and the classic Warner Brothers library potentially under the Paramount banner, the UFC will be the stand out sports property of the platform.

Zilla Fatu debuts

After some speculation in recent months, Zilla Fatu, son of the late Umaga and member of the Samoan dynasty, made his surprise debut on NXT television earlier this week. The 26-year-old athlete interrupted a match up between Cruz Montana, the former Mike Santana, and Grayson Waller to determine the number one contender for the NXT championship. The fact that Zilla debuted on the brand during this segment implies that he will be involved in the title picture of the developmental show.

So, the question is, will this be too much too soon for the newest addition to the WWE of the Samoan family tree?

My initial impression is yes, mostly because despite only being in the business for three years, Zilla had a public dispute with Booker T, prompting him to exit the Hall of Famer's Reality of Wrestling organization where he trained to learn the ropes for the period of time before the two mended fences. Fatu also had a stint with Game Changer Wrestling two years ago before the company announced that he wouldn't be working for them again in the future, cancelling his previously scheduled dates for the company.

I could be wrong, and truthfully, I hope I am, but for someone to have those types of public rifts less than two years into their tenure as a wrestler, it just doesn't seem like national television, with the exposure and the responsibility that goes with it, will be something that will be handled well by Zilla Fatu at this point in his life. It's doubtful that someone, regardless of who they are, can go from the point of online arguments with a trainer to mature enough to handle the publicity of WWE television in the span of a few years.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't meant as some type of personal knock on the son of Umaga, but rather to point out the nature of the business for young performers that get too much responsibility to handle too early in their careers when they don't have the proper perspective to realize the opportunities in front of them. Nattie and TJ Wilson were signed to WWE contracts when they were very young, but were mature enough to handle it and the result is that they still work for the company more than two decades later. On the flip side, Tony Atlas (or whoever the ghost writer was) literally wrote the book "Too much, Too soon" that was released more than a decade ago before it was also the title of an episode of Dark Side of The Ring about his career last year. Teddy Hart had more than one chance to be the next generation high-flyer of the Hart lineage before he became such a dumpster fire that he wasted any potential he might've had. Renee Dupree signed a contract at 18, and five years later, his career was basically over.

To put Zilla Fatu on national television with just three years of in-ring experience is very rare, at least for the modern era, a period when talents that had several years of international experience under their belts, making them more than ready for the main roster, still had to spend at least a few of the prime years of their career on the developmental show. If Zilla is mature enough to handle this level of notoriety or the responsibility, that by extension, is a representation of a publicly-traded, global corporation remains to be seen.

However, that doesn't mean that was automatically the wrong move, at least in terms of the broad concept.

I wrote a few articles about second generation stars earlier this week, and one thing is for sure, the WWE definitely needs to make a significant and consistent push toward a youth movement. Despite all of his already noted personal blunders in recent years, the reality is that Vince McMahon's latter tenure as the boss  was woefully sloppy. If I had to guess the reasoning behind the professional woes, I'd say that it was unintentional complacency, particularly after TNA fell off a cliff in the aftermath of the Hulk Hogan debacle in the early-2010s, and before the launch of All Elite Wrestling in 2019.

Vince took the easy, predictable, and stale road to use part-timers at the top of the card since it didn't require any of the heavy lifting involved in putting a level of faith into a younger talent and then constructing storylines that could showcase them to the fullest potential. With any investment in sports entertainment, there's some risk. Does anyone remember the extremely monotonous Raw show throughout the mid-2010s when you could skip a month of the program without actually missing anything from the angles? Brock Lesnar was the part-time champion, and the brand was booked around the centerpiece not being there for three months at a time.

The domino effect of that was that the WWE audience, particularly the more causal demographic, got conditioned to view the vast majority of the current roster as secondary to guys from the past. There was a reason that at certain points in time that nostalgia was the biggest drawing card that the company had. I'm not saying to discard the stars from a previous generation at all, their cache is an extremely valuable asset in a variety of ways. But, outside of very few exceptions, the office hasn't truly run with, or put stock into younger talent to take the top spots that are trusted to move the needle. John Cena, Bill Goldberg, AJ Styles, and Brock Lesnar are retired. Seth Rollins is younger than those peers, but given his laundry list of injuries, as talented as he is, it's possible that his career will end earlier than it would've other wise. Roman Reigns claimed in recent interviews that he will explore the potential of retirement within a few years. At the very least, I could see Roman stepping away from full-time competition in favor of limited cameos a few times a year. Randy Orton is one of the last guys standing from that early-2000s group, but again, his injuries, including as recent as Wrestlemania earlier this year, make the time he has left in the ring unpredictable.

Thankfully, it seems like there has been a push toward younger wrestlers more recently, specifically with Oba Femi being pushed as the future at 28 years old rather than a decade from now. Bron Breakker is the same age, and should be considered as much, if not even more of a priority in terms of moving up the card. As mentioned, only time will tell if Zilla will be a part of that youth movement, but he's undoubtedly getting the chance to make a name for himself after a debut like that. Of course, it goes without saying that management shouldn't try to rush him, and should view him as a long-term project. If he spends three years on NXT to arrive onto the main roster as a polished pro by the time he hits the age of thirty, WWE brass could potentially have a star for the next 15 years for the organization. Ironically, despite the cache that goes along with the Samoan family, I'd say that the office should allow Zilla to work on his own to avoid him getting lost in the shuffle of the lackluster retread of the Bloodline storyline. The biggest takeaway from this story might not be the debut of Zilla himself, but rather the indication of a possible youth movement since the company needs new stars.