The career of Canaan Kristopher

The term "natural" has been used in professional wrestling a lot over the years. Sometimes it's a moniker, which essentially translates to a promotional tool. Dustin Rhodes, Butch Reed, and years later even Chase Stevens and Andy Douglas took the term to frame specific chapters of their careers. At other times, that same term is used as more of a direct adjective based on someone's aptitude for the industry, as they pick up on the nuances of the business much faster than their experience level would suggest possible. The late Free Bird, Terry Gordy drew money in the southern territories when he was still in his teenage years because of how quickly he understood the mechanics of the genre.

In Pittsburgh, a region known almost as much for its wrestling, a history that stretches back as far as the Studio Wrestling days with Bill Cardille on the mic, as for the steel that it once produced, the area has a unique history of the canvas woven into the fabric of western Pennsylvania.

After Kurt Angle won an Olympic Gold medal (with a broken neck if you didn't know) in 1996, he originally declined a WWF contract offer. Two years later, he inked a developmental deal and just a year after that, made his television debut at the Survivor Series in 1999 with less than 12 months of in-ring experience. It was the fastest transition anyone made to the pro ranks and set a bench mark that very few have achieved. With the lineage of Bruno, Angle, and Shane Douglas as a foundation, the Pittsburgh circuit, an independent scene that grew exponentially after the national groups consolidated by the early-2000s, has also produced a few naturals of the squared circle.

As a commentator on the Pittsburgh circuit, I've seen a lot of aspiring hopefuls try to pursue pro wrestling. Some are dreamers that didn't have the skill or discipline to even attempt to call themselves professional athletes. Other carve out a decent weekend warrior career for themselves, and there's nothing wrong with that. However, there are times when you see someone start their career and they have a poise that makes it clear that they are destined for bigger platforms, When I saw Lee Moriarty wrestle literal circles around opponents after he made his pro debut in late-2015, the general consensus was that he was only going to be available locally for a limited time. He signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2021 and has been the Ring Of Honor Pure champion for more than two years.

Lee Moriarty is a natural in the pro wrestling business.

Not long before Moriarty claimed that title on ROH pay-per-view, there was another natural that was just breaking into the business in the same region. Canaan Kristopher is a prototype of what many top shelf pro wrestlers look to be. The 6'4 former college football player was naturally gifted his entire life. He excelled at athletics through a combination of God given talent and the mindset to apply those tools properly. From the day he stepped into the ring at a converted storage facility, The Iron City Wrestling Academy, a training center with its own track record of preparing students for future roles on television, the difference between Canaan and the rest of the class was obvious.

"Canaan is full of raw athleticism. He’s a an excellent physical talent, anyone can see that. The stuff that you wouldn’t see without working with him is that Canaan is one of, if not the most, coachable person I’ve ever worked with. He picks things up quickly, very often the first time you demonstrate something. He can take harsh criticism and push forward. I’m a rough coach, but I’ve never gotten a pout or back talk from him. He knows criticism is part of learning," said Glenn Spectre, the trainer that saw the chance to mold a potential superstar as he quite literally taught Kristopher the ropes. 

As well suited as he was physically for sports, a severe case of dyslexia, a learning disability that he wasn't diagnosed with until the 11th grade, become the biggest challenge for him in his scholastic career. As a lifelong football fan, he couldn't pass up the chance to play college football when he was offered the chance, but his grades, primarily because of struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia throughout his formative years, kept his options at Division two schools. After two years at defensive end, he left the now-closed Alderson Broaddus University in West Virginia when a combination of costs and his academic scores prevented him from finishing his collegiate pursuit. Canaan was in his early-20s and looking for his way in life. He did everything from work at an IRS firm to picking up a handful of acting gigs in commercials, attempting to find what his path would be. Ultimately, he tried to find a way to fill the void of sports when his football dreams didn't materialize.

"My whole life all I ever wanted was to be a professional football player. My favorite players growing up were Hines Ward and James Harrison. I would make my mark on the defensive side of the game, I was always addicted to the physical aspect of the game and I was addicted to hitting the QB. I played middle linebacker and tight end throughout high school. I had a bunch of colleges come to recruit me, but I never had the grades to get into a bigger school," Canaan explained.

"It was extremely hard for me to give up my dream of playing football after playing for so many years. I had a really good job as an account representative for the IRS with really good benefits that most people would love to have, but I became really depressed. The job was stressful, and all I wanted to do was play football," he added.

The most ironic part of all of this was that while Kristopher was literally built for pro wrestling with his statue, athleticism, and timing, he hadn't actually watched or even knew much about sports entertainment before his tennis shoes touched the canvas for the first time on the first day of class.

"The first guy I watched was Drew McIntyre, and I was thinking how cool it must feel to walk out in-front of thousands of fans. After a few beers, I remember saying to my buddy, 'I bet I could do this' so he took that as an invitation when he signed me up for ICWA training under my email address. A few days later, I get an e mail saying that my tryout for professional wrestling was on Monday, the day after Mother’s Day. I remember talking to my mom about it, and she said that I should go and at least try because I might be good at it. So, I figured I would try out," Kristopher commented.

So yes, on a wimp and unbeknownst to him, Canaan was enrolled in an education of the squared circle. He didn't know it that day when he showed up at the previously mentioned converted storage unit, but his first steps on the mat that day were the start of a journey that has shaped the direction of his life since. He also didn't know it at the time, but he was about to meet his trainer, tag team partner, and mentor. Glenn Spectre, known as "The Big Boss" when the red light comes on, is a throwback of the business, a serious professional that will give his time and effort to students that are willing to treat the industry with the same respect that was taught to him when he first broke into the sport more than a quarter century ago.

"He pushed us to try to get us to break and quit. I was used to the intense training from playing football so I was able to handle what he had us doing. We grew really close as training continued, and I remember telling him my story and that I was excited for professional wrestling to be my new hobby to scratch the itch of not being able to play football. I remember him saying that he thinks I should consider doing pro wrestling for more than a hobby because he thinks I have what it takes to make it to the top of the wrestling business. After hearing that and realizing that getting to those bigger companies could be a possibility for independent professional wrestlers, I knew that I was going to put my all into this business, Kristopher commented. 

To say that Canaan's progress has been fast-tracked would be an understatement, as with just three years in the business, his calendar stays full, as promoters, locally and in different states know what an addition to their cards such a talented youngster can be. Not only has Kristopher became a fixture across western Pennsylvania, working for a myriad of groups, but zigzags around several states on any given weekend on a regular basis. West Virginia, Tennessee, New York, and Kentucky are all regular stops in his pro wrestling rotation. That scenario introduced him to the grinds of the grueling road schedule that those with his type of potential must endure on their journey to pursue the next level.

"Traveling can be one of the toughest things in the life of a professional wrestler, but also one of the most rewarding. Hoping in the car for ten hours with a group of your buddies and sharing the same dream and being able to talk about something you love is what makes this business special. The bond you build with these guys and the stories you create will last a lifetime," he said.

Thankfully, he doesn't have to make those tedious trips alone. His trainer is there to guide the youngster, both as a general inside the ring and a helpful ear outside of it. The Troublemakers, originally a villainous duo, combined the veteran experience of Spectre with the tremendous agility of Kristopher, creating one of the most versatile and ultimately, one of the top tag teams anywhere in independent wrestling. The pair have collected numerous tag team championships, including the Ryse tag belts in Pittsburgh, the NWA South Eastern tag titles in the previously mentioned Tennessee, and they had a tenure as the Ohio Valley Wrestling Tag Team champions at the famous Davis Arena, aptly named for the founder of the organization, longtime pro "Nightmare Danny Davis, in Louisville.

"Tagging with Canaan is an absolute blessing. It’s like being on the road with a brother. I know he’s always got my back. He pushes me to do things I didn't think I could accomplish at my age. He’s my biggest cheerleader when it comes to me being in the contract hunt. Canaan and I are on the road constantly so he has been able to extend his learning process with me, and it shows in the fact that he’s a polished, TV ready talent, so early in his career," said Glenn, who was the first "gaijin" or foreign to win the DDT Tag Team titles in Japan in 2004, an era when his future tag partner was only a few years ago.

"The team brought me to so many places and has given me so many opportunities. I get to do it with one of my closest friends, who in many ways ,I consider family. Plus, I believe we are very good and our chemistry is unmatched. Teaming with your trainer is like teaming with your father. He taught me how to think, how to move, how to adjust, and how to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Because he taught me his style and how he does things, we always tend to be on the same page. It’s very rare he calls something that I wasn’t already working towards or vice versa. It’s really cool and rare that you build that type of chemistry and trust with someone," Canaan added.

Now under the direction of accomplished and well-known grappler Al Snow, who has more than 40 years in the industry, the OVW presentation, both their television tapings and their online content, provides Canaan with valuable experience to further hone his craft to truly polish his skills to maximize his potential. The 10-hour round trip from western Pennsylvania to the Davis Arena weekly isn't seen as a sacrifice, but rather an opportunity to learn from some of the wisest minds in the industry.

"OVW had taught me so much in just the little time that I’ve been there. I have learned lessons from Doug Basham, Road Dog, JBL, and of course, Al Snow. OVW is by far the best locker room I’ve been in. Everyone works together to try to put on the best show possible, and everyone is very competitive so it motivates you to be on top of your game at all times. What I love most about OVW is the team that has been built there. Everyone wants you to succeed and everyone is cheering for you. Amazing Maria and Maximo Suave, they brought us into the company and took us under their wings. They believed in us to be able to impress the people that we needed to. And, because of that we secured a spot on the OVW roster, he said.

It goes without saying that nothing is guaranteed in the sports entertainment business, but there's no doubt that "The Natural" Canaan Kristopher lives up to that moniker. While nothing can truly be for sure in such a unique industry, it wouldn't be surprising if we eventually see Kristopher on national and international television.

"I want to be signed to one of the biggest professional wrestling companies in the world. I want to show that I can be one of the best in the world. I want to win world titles and main event at the highest levels. I believe that I’m on the right track and I believe in my abilities. I’m enjoying the relationships that I built, and I’m extremely proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and perusing my dreams. I’m excited to see where I go from here. I hope to one day leave this business better than I found it and leave behind a legacy that speaks for itself," Canaan concluded.

New Japan expansion

New Japan Pro Wrestling of America, the international spinoff of the Japanese league, announced last week that the North American project will cease operations and enter into liquidation. The short statement mentioned that there are still plans to run events in North America in the future, with the support of TV Asahi, the network that saw its share increase with the sale of the organization earlier this year.

As disappointing as the announcement might be since it's undoubtedly a step backwards for the legendary Japanese group, it's not surprising at all. There are numerous reasons why a standalone American project didn't truly get off the ground, some of which had to do with timing more than anything else, but when you take into account that Bushiroad, the parent company that owned the organization throughout its surge in popularity in the 2010s, sold the promotion to CyberFight, the corporation that also owns DDT, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and Tokyo Joshi Pro, it's not a shock that they are consolidating New Japan to put their resources into the domestic market.

In truth, the style alone was going to make New Japan Strong, the original brand for the American expansion, a niche product. The key was to determine if there was enough of an audience, specifically through the expanded distribution of modern technology, to make NJPW Strong a profitable niche product. It's not an impossible task since cult favorites can find their share of the market in any genre, but it was particularly difficult to do that when the organization launched in 2019.

Of course, if someone enters the pro wrestling market in the United States on any level, they are competing with the WWE to some degree. Even independent shows on the local level have to compete with the fact that an ESPN+ subscription is $30 a month to watch the pay-per-views, and sometimes, it might be more affordable for the family to stay home to watch the PPV than to buy four tickets to the show in their town. For New Japan Strong, it was going to be a matter of competing for the pro wrestling dollar on an overall basis rather than shows directly going head-to-head or on the same weekend.

It's important to keep in mind that the same year that the expansion started, All Elite Wrestling launched with a core group of talent that were key to the previously mentioned surge in popularity. As we know, since the launch of All Elite more than seven years ago, Tony Khan also signed away almost every top New Japan star on the roster. We've seen a number of Japanese talent sign with WWE in more recent years as well. The bottom line is, New Japan can't compete with TKO's billion dollar corporation, or Tony Khan's billionaire family so if someone is offered a hefty pay increase, the vast majority of the talent have to take the deal for the financial security that it provides. To put it in perspective, it was reported that New Japan was sold for $22.6 million, which is roughly half of what the WWE gets paid for one of the Saudi Arabia events.

Don't get me wrong, New Japan has held some of the most legendary events and had some of the most thrilling matches in the history of the sport, it has a very important place in the wrestling industry, but from strictly a business prospective, it's considerably smaller than either of the major American groups. That's why an American expansion, as much as there was a demand for it from the die hard demographic, was going to be an uphill climb.

Aside from the launch of All Elite and the departures when others were offered contracts with the American promotions within the past few years, it can't be understated how much the pandemic impacted the revenue of New Japan, which does the bulk of its business through live event tickets and merchandise rather than the media rights contracts that are the primary revenue stream in the United States. When live events were shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic, New Japan still had to pay the wrestlers' contracts, but didn't have the live event sales to cover those expenses. Obviously, when limited capacity was allowed, it gave the company more more to work with, but limited capacity also meant limited revenue while they still had to fulfill the contract obligations.

There's no doubt that the launch of New Japan World, the streaming service that broadcasted events live, helped expand distribution and can be an effective revenue source for the promotion, but it's a matter of if there was enough of a North American demand for an expansion onto another continent to be successful. Again, to put it in perspective, the WWE tried to launch NXT UK prior to the pandemic and the project didn't survive, despite the WWE machine behind it.

Between the amount of talent that left and the struggles of the pandemic, New Japan has spent the past few years in a rebuilding process, which isn't impossible, as every company has to do it at various points but the reality is that it takes time to truly replenish the roster. Ryohei Oiwa and Yuya Uemura have done very well this year and seem to have potential to be a rivalry to build around in the future. I think Shingo should get another run as the IWGP Heavyweight champion and is probably underutilized in the grand scheme of things. The current IWGP champion, Yota Tsuji has done well in the role. He looks and works like a main event guy.

Still, the issue was that the domestic product needed all hands on deck and the focus there to structure that rebuilding process. The resources, both talent and money, couldn't be used for an American expansion that didn't get off the ground after the impact on business from the pandemic. Keep in mind, as trivial as it might sound, the logistics of such a situation can be a hurdle as well. It's nine or ten hours to fly from Tokyo to the United States so it's not as though it would be realistic for the company to bring the native talent to America on a regular basis to try to draw crowds for the Strong events.

The New Japan LA Dojo is also closing as a part of the liquidation process. Obviously, New Japan has their training center in their home country so they can continue to recruit talent, as well as to send prospects on excursions to hone their craft. But, the closure of the dojo more or less confirms that CyberFight wants to completely scrap any expansion plans for the future. They don't have any property or resources in the United States so that they can completely focus on their domestic market, which makes sense based on the status of the organization.

According to the statement, there will still be events in North America, but I'd guess that the Japanese league will continue to partner with AEW for most of those shows, which is also a wise decision. As a purist, I thought it was great that the New Japan product become more accessible to American fans, especially with English commentary for New Japan World, and merchandise options located in America to avoid astronomical shipping costs. That being said, the closure of the New Japan of America project almost underscores the notion that trying to get a niche product over to the American audience on a bigger sale is too much of a contradictory business concept. As I said, it's definitely a step backwards because it proved that New Japan doesn't have wide scale global appeal, but at the same time, it's also definitely the best move for the company since it will hopefully allow them to strengthen their domestic business in the long run. 

Blood and Guts review

Last week, I penned an article about the head-to-head competition between NXT and the Blood and Guts edition of Dynamite, mostly based on the fact that CM Punk challenged Grayson Waller for the NXT championship and asked if there was a case to be made for Punk to be a short-term champion of the developmental brand? It would be a way to add some spice to the monotonous WWE line-up before the lull in the action between the upcoming Survivor Series pay-per-view and the start of Wrestlemania season with the Royal Rumble.

NXT was back on Wednesday, its original time slot on television, but it had been on Tuesdays long enough that the audience was used to that as the day to tune in for the developmental show on the CW network. Since Wednesday is now an unfamiliar night, it's not a surprise that Dynamite did a better rating, but the numbers themselves revealed an intriguing takeaway.

The week prior to Blood and Guts, the Dynamite show drew 620,000 viewers. The numbers from last leek saw NXT garner 552,000 viewers, whereas Dynamite generated 792,000 viewers, which is a 27% increase based on the gimmick of Blood and Guts.

The decline in viewership for AEW programming over the past three years, specifically since CM Punk left after he got into a second backstage altercation in the span of two years (where's Jack Perry, anyway?), was the narrative throughout the majority of that time. Thankfully, the story of the company itself has stabilized a lot more over the course of 2026, particularly when there were positives to celebrate rather than negatives to navigate as a promotion. Still, the reality is that the audience is somewhere in the neighborhood of 40% smaller today than it was in 2023. That narrows the potential audience and thus the realistic footprint that All Elite Wrestling can have in the industry.

That's why the Blood and Guts number revealed a key piece of information about the Khan-owned organization.

The rating for the cage match special proves that there's a considerable amount of viewers that would be willing to watch Dynamite, as was proven by the actual number that it drew, but they simply choose not to usually watch the show on a weekly basis. When the audience knows that show is there and has a willingness to tune in, but only does so on a limited basis, it's a pattern that translates to something flawed about the product.

Why aren't those nearly 800,000 fans watching on a regular basis? Outside of the Pac tribute event at the end of September, Dynamite usually doesn't draw anywhere near the number for Blood and Guts. Again, the spike in viewership, at least to that degree, reveals what the product might be lacking to retain those fans more regularly.

Of course, the Blood and Guts format is known for chaos so you'd expect a bump in the rating, but with that much of an increase, this tells you that the audience will watch the head-to-head car crash, but they don't need to see the fender bender as the follow up since it pales in comparison. That's why I'm still puzzled that if Tony Khan is determined to run this type of show, and it seems clear that he is, why not put it on pay-per-view to maximize the revenue from it? In some respects, it actually takes away some of the steam for the Full Gear pay-per-view that the company is trying to sell this weekend. The fans just saw Megan Bayne bleed buckets for almost 45 minutes, why do they need to pay $50 to watch a broadcast that will be tame by comparison? The same thing can be said for the ridiculous bump that Darby Allin took at the end of the men's cage match, the audience saw him fall over twenty feet through tables, why should they order the pay-per-view to see a lesser version of that a week later?

No, I'm not advocating for more risky stunts, the injury rate is high enough in the sport. In fact, I'm saying quite the opposite, the dangerous stunts shouldn't happen on such a regular basis since the risk/reward ratio is completely out of balance. With the bar set so high for what is deemed risky, it devalues the vast majority of the other legitimate risks that the roster usually takes. Yes, Mick Foley took a legendary bump from the top of the cell, and yes, it was very dangerous. The difference is, that match is still talked about three decades later, is the bump that Darby took at Blood and Guts going to be remembered in three weeks?

Don't get me wrong, the All Elite roster is stacked with talented performers, which is why I don't think they should diminish the legitimate risks that they take in the ring to just a standard day at the office, and if they are going to take those risks, it only makes sense to do it in a situation where the reward ratio is favorable.

As far as selling the Full Gear pay-per-view in Phoenix, Arizona at the Mortgage  Matchup Center, Anarchy in The Arena is one of the marquee matches, but unless someone is going to be set on fire (it's sadly a possibility), it will only be a lesser version of Blood and Guts so why should the audience pay $50 to watch it, especially when the current economic crunch has reduced the amount of disposable income?

Ironically, with a rather short build, Kyle Fletcher will challenge Will Ospreay for the world championship. Fletcher was used as a last-minute opponent for Adam Page at All Out last year, and despite the history between Fletcher and Ospreay, I'm not sure it would be wise for Fletcher to come up short in another world title bout. In truth, this would've been a match-up that I would've avoided booking until Ospreay was going to drop the championship, because another key loss could typecast Fletcher as someone that is just a tier under the main event instead of a potential top guy. That's why it was unwise to put him in this spot if the goal was just to give Ospreay an opponent on PPV. Now, Fletcher has taken some silly risks in his AEW career. but Ospreay is somewhat similar to Darby, as far as that he appears to be determined to burn the candle at both ends until it's detrimental to his career. At 33, the British grappler is theoretically in the prime of his career, but he started in the sport in his reengage years and he already had neck surgery so there's no doubt that the business has taken a toll on his body. In the grand scheme of things, Kyle Fletcher might be the younger, more well-rounded version of Ospreay that will surpass him at some point in the future. It remains to be seen if he takes the world title this weekend.

I understand that money is no object so revenue and profit aren't the main factors for All Elite Wrestling, even if they should be. But, when there's such a noticeable boost in viewership for the over-the-top car crash episode of Dynamite that it illustrates how disposable the rest of the content usually is because chaos became the routine of AEW. The finale of the fireworks show doesn't have to happen every week, and if it does, the roman candles don't look nearly as impressive. The biggest takeaway from the Blood and Guts ratings is the notion that there would probably be a much bigger upside, both in terms of audience and revenue, if there was structure to the product.

UFC 334

The fight business has been and always will be the entertainment business.

Sure, the action is based on legitimate competition, but at the end of the day, professional fights are deemed to be successful based on revenue and profit. Capitalism is the biggest winner for the pro ranks. If you want pure competition, that's what the amateur leagues are for. Ironically, but not surprisingly, the Olympics is the pinnacle of pure competition, but as we know, there are millions of dollars involved in the big picture of the Olympic games.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the MMA branch of the TKO corporation, is no different than any other capitalist organization. Dana White might be selling legitimate competition, but make no mistake about it, the UFC boss is very much in the entertainment business. He has a product to sell and moves the pieces of the puzzle in place to maximize the return on that promotional investment.

It's not as ham-handed as when Conor McGregor was gifted a 155 LBS title shot without ever competing in the division to attempt to shoehorn him into the role of a double champion, or when Brock Lesnar was granted an opportunity at the heavyweight belt with only one victory in the organization, but the headliner for this weekend's UFC 334 pay-per-view at Madison Square Garden is another prime example of how the entertainment business dictates the competitive decisions.

Just over a year ago, Tom Aspinall suffered a serious injury as a result of an eye poke during his heavyweight title contest against Ciryl Gane, prompting the referee to stop the contest late in the first round. Aspinall retained the belt due to injury stoppage, but has since undergone multiple surgeries to treat the injury. With no timetable for his return to the cage, Aspinall vacated the UFC Heavyweight championship in mid-September. Gane, who was deemed a contender previously, but didn't seem to be at the top tier of the division, won an interim title when he beat Alex Pereira via TKO in the second round at the White House card this past June. When Aspinall vacated his belt, Gane was promoted to the undisputed titleholder.

As mentioned,  Ciryl Gane is a talented heavyweight, but as we've seen with other divisions in more recent years, when the tile is vacated, the new champion doesn't have the cache or the credibility that goes along with dethroning the previous champion. Technically, Pereira, who vacated the 205 LBS championship to compete at heavyweight, wasn't a proven contender in the heavyweight division when he fought Gane in June since it was his debut at that weight class. Gane basically defeated a former light heavyweight champion, not a heavyweight contender to claim the belt that he didn't beat Aspinall for.

That's not to say that Gane didn't earn the title, but rather to point out that he has something to prove within the 265 LBS division, which is why his initial title defense is very important this Saturday.

Josh Hokit, who beat Derek Lewis via TKO in the second round at the previously mentioned White House card, has a pro record of 10-0, with four wins in the UFC. His first two wins in the company were against virtual unknowns, but his most recent two victories were against Lewis as mentioned, and Curtis Blaydes before that. In short, he has two credible victories that some might cite to consider him a contender, but I'm not sure that a pair of notable wins is necessarily enough to justify a title shot. However, much like the division when Randy Couture moved up from 205 LBS to beat Tim Slyvia for the championship almost two decades ago, the current weight class lacks depth. Of course, Jon Jones being shoehorned into the role of heavyweight champion without ever competing in the division before and then his supposed retirement because he didn't want to fight Aspinall, as well as the eye injury that sidelined Aspinall, didn't do anything to help the heavyweight division either.

So, without many contenders established to challenge Gane, a fighter that is 10-0 looks good on paper. But, make no mistake about it, the former NFL practice squad player is getting this title shot because he acted foolish enough to get noticed, and if it pays off then it's difficult to argue with his strategy.

When Chael Sonnen talked his way into the UFC main events years ago, it was done with a wink and a nod. He was so over-the-top that he was more or less indirectly acknowledging (as he directly acknowledged after his retirement) that he was playfully borrowing from the pro wrestling playbook to sell the fight. He was outrageous in a silly type of way, giving him plausible deniability about the level of malicious intent that he did or didn't have during his "Superstar" Billy Graham-inspired interviews. There's a reason that he and Anderson Silva were on good terms after their bouts.

Hokit is trying too hard to be a Temu version of Sonnen, and he's trying to push the envelope far enough that it works right now when he's in the spotlight, but might be counted against him if he ends up on a losing streak,which could be when the organization tries to distance itself from him. Basically, Hokit acts bizarre, not entertaining. Viewers might notice it once, but it won't be something that they will look at for very long. The strange press conference appearances are cringe worthy, not marketable.

During the post-fight interview at the White House card, Hokit made some disparaging remarks about former first lady, Michelle Obama. When UFC boss, Dana White was asked about it at the post-event press conference, he called the comments "gross" and "moronic." Considering his close ties with Trump, Dana had no reason to defend the Democratic first lady unless he legitimately didn't appreciate the remarks. Granted, at the end of the days, Hokit is going to make money for the UFC, but Dana has also seen what happens when he doesn't put his foot down with certain fighters. Conor McGregor and Jon Jones don't have the most stellar reputation outside of the cage.

Still, the opportunity is there, and if  Hokit can claim the heavyweight belt at Madison Square Garden, there's no doubt that his stock will propel as one of the stars of the company.

If that will happen is somewhat of a toss up. I truly don't think there's enough of a sample size of Hokit's ability in the cage to judge exactly how he will fair against the more experience champion. The Frenchman has only lost against  Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones. I don't think we can immediately assume that Hokit is at that level of competition. However, the reason that I said the result could be a toss up is simply because in the heavyweight division, it only takes one punch so there's a much smaller margin for error.

With his football background, Hokit's speed might be the difference maker. On the other hand, Gane's reach advantage might be a significant factor, specifically if the bout gets into the championship rounds. I'll pick Gane to retain the championship, but that's more of a guess than anything since there are many different directions the bout could go, depending on how prepared each fighter will be.

The co-main event will see the return of Amanda Nunes nearly three and a half years after she retired as the UFC Women's Bantamweight champion to challenge Kayla Harrison for the same title. A UFC Hall of Famer, Nunes is known for her powerful, dynamic style and a well-rounded skill set that makes her dangerous anywhere that the fight takes place. She pummeled Ronda Rousey into retirement a decade ago and then went on a legendary run as the 135 LBS champion.

Kayla Harrison, who has a pro record of 15-1, is undefeated in the UFC since she debuted in the promotion in 2024. At 36, it's possible that Harrison might be near retirement herself, but it would also make sense for her to continue to fight as long as she's the champion to maximize her earnings. This bout was originally scheduled to take place at the beginning of this year, but was postponed when Harrison suffered a neck injury that required surgery.

We could breakdown the fight stylistically, but I think the analysis is a lot simpler than that. Is Harrison truly back to 100% after the injury, and will ring rust affect Amanda Nunes? This isn't a knock on Harrison in any way, shape, or form, as she's proven herself to be a tough competitor, but even after nearly three years away from the sport, I have to pick Amanda Nunes to claim the belt again, mostly because she was so dominate in her previous title reign.

The under card is rather pedestrian, but it's garnish on the line-up since two title fights at Madison Square Garden, including the return of Nunes, are enough of a selling point for the audience. It will be interesting to see if Nunes competes again if she wins the championship. 

Crown Jewel review

After much speculation, concern, and a measurable degree of criticism, Crown Jewel took place in Saudi Arabia this past weekend. Originally scheduled to be a stadium show, the pay-per-view was moved in doors amid safety concerns after Yemen forces attacked the Saudi International Airport several times in the weeks leading up to the event. While last weekend's Saul "Canelo" Alvarez fight took place without incident, the fact that the PPV had to be moved at all was enough of a reason for the WWE crew not to travel there.

As I've written in a few articles over the past few weeks, money is the determining factor, not anything else. Reportedly, CM Punk and Kevin Owens declined to make the trip, which is probably why their match took place on Smackdown the day before Crown Jewel. I could be wrong on this, but with just four matches on the card, only a handful of performers on the line-up, and the announce team calling the broadcast at the WWE studios in Stamford, it appeared that the company took the absolute least amount of the roster to Saudi Arabia as possible. The ability to get paid the estimated $50 million for the show and get back to America was probably the goal for this entire fiasco. 

Again, if there was enough of a security risk that the pay-per-view had to be moved to a different venue, that was enough of a reason not to go in the first place, but I digress.

Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes opened the show, and while the last match standing stipulation can be a slower pace because of the counts involved to eventually get to the finish, this marquee bout moved at a rather glacial pace. In some respects, this reminded me of the Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns main event from Summer Slam a few months ago. It was slow, plodding, and at times, just boring. Don't get me wrong, these guys didn't mail it in, the effort was there, but it just didn't hit the mark the way that they probably intended. It was an attempt to shoehorn faux drama into the narrative when it just wasn't there. In fact, considering that the live crowd sided with Orton and were vocally against Cody, it made the presentation seem that much more out of place. This went almost thirty minutes, and the very slow pace became a tedious viewing experience, despite being the first match on the card.

At one point, Orton bumped his head on the steel steps that were in the ring, suffering a nasty cut in the process. Orton spilled blood on the canvas from the hard way cut, and it looked to be in a bad spot on the side of his head. The unintentional crimson added some intensity, but again, the crowd was behind Orton so when Cody nailed him with the punt kick for the finish, almost as if to be the dramatic crescendo of the feud, it fell somewhat flat. Listen, the top WWE guys probably make at least a million dollars each for these Saudi shows so who I am to criticize their efforts to secure that cash? But from a presentation stand point, this was the wrong match in front of the wrong crowd, even if it was the right finish for the storyline. Cody Rhodes got the victory, and it will be interesting to see who he works with next, specifically if he's slated for a main event angle.

The WWE Tag Team title match was fun, it gave the show a dose of fast-paced action that it needed, especially based on where the PPV was headed by the end of the night. Considering that with the continued push that Je'Von Evans is getting on Raw, and the fact that the office has to keep Penta busy for a while, if for no other reason than to merchandise the Money in The Bank briefcase, it made sense for them to win the belts here. I understand that dropping the titles might take some steam away from The Vision stable, the group that was plagued with injuries, but outside of Austin Theory, everyone in the faction is probably destined for bigger roles anyway. As I said, this was an entertaining segment, and the title switch gave the event something newsworthy so that this didn't boil down to a glorified house show, specifically because nothing was truly at stake in the main event. The spot with Bronson Reed and Oba Femi was a solid addition to the segment to continue to showcase Oba without rushing him up the card before he might be truly prepared for it. The interaction between Oba and Bron Breakker might be an indication of where the storyline goes next. At the conclusion, Evans and Pentagon won the belts, and while they are a throw together tag team, that doesn't mean that the pairing won't be productive in the big picture.

Speaking of booking something to make the pay-per-view newsworthy, the women's Crown Jewel championship match, as well as the aftermath, was very well done. The match itself wasn't anything too spectacular, but it was solid for what they did. I'm not sure continuously casting Chelsea Green as someone that supposedly shouldn't have the ability to be in the role of a champion will actually benefit her in terms of star power in the long run, but perhaps the angle that was set up will help progress the narrative. The 15-minute match had enough time to get into second gear, but it wasn't too long to overstay its welcome. The roll up finish where Chelsea looked surprised that she won was designed to reinforce the storyline of the unexpected champion, but again, I'd argue that it doesn't translate completely since the audience believes in her character. However, the Tiffany Stratton cash-in where she made it appear that she was going to challenge for Liv Morgan's title before she turned heel to blindside Green with the brief case was a brilliant piece of business. The performer cast as the underdog gets the big victory before the sneaky heel snatched it away, it sets up for what should be a feud with layers of depth to it. That being said, the key to any of this is that the office actually has plans to do that so that Chelsea doesn't get completely overlooked on the shows.

The main event was another attempt at a dramatic Shakespearean type of performance from Roman Reigns, but unfortunately, it missed the mark, albeit not quite as much as the previously mentioned Summer Slam match against Rollins. This was 25 minutes of mostly slow, plodding theatrics and there was only a small portion of the match that had any steady action to it. The spots where they are talking to each other to try to manufacture drama often didn't work, and I'm still not sure why after a pin fall attempt or between sequences that there's a deliberate stall before the next spot. If these matches are supposed to be perceived as important, why isn't there an urgency or direct effort to try to win?

It appears that the objective from the corporate side of things is to try to sell this type of performance as some type of dramatic fine art of entertainment, but it usually just comes across as very boring, which isn't something that should be associated with Roman or Sami Zayn, considering how talented they are. If this was about ten minutes shorter and kept the action a lot tighter, it would've been a better match. 

Taya Valkyrie exits AEW

Taya Valkyrie, former Impact Wrestling Knockouts champion, announced on social media that she turned down a contract extension offer from All Elite Wrestling, opting to test the waters of free agency. In truth, she only wrestled one match for the ROH brand at the beginning of 2026, and it has been almost a year since she worked a match anywhere so she's probably one of the performers that many forgot was still under contract to All Elite before she announced her departure.

While I think it's completely possible that Tony Khan offered her a contract extension, the odds are about the same that he also allowed her deal to simply expire since there were clearly no plans for her, nor had she been given the opportunity to do anything of major importance during the three years she was signed to the company. I found it somewhat odd that in the social media post to comment on her exit, she mentioned that her "team" put a statement out and that "her team" will be working with her for future opportunities. I have to be honest, it sounds somewhat silly that Taya has or would need a staff to work on her career, considering that it's not as though she's spinning that many plates at the same time. Yes, I understand that she did some acting work and made an appearance on a reality show in Canada when she wasn't being used in AEW, but it's not as though she's some type of pop star that is so in demand that she can't handle her own schedule.

But, it certainly paints a better narrative of "focusing on other career opportunities" as opposed to "Tony forget I was on the payroll," especially if she actually plans to get back in the ring on a regular basis at some point in the future. She actually released an EP to launch a music career a few weeks ago, but I hadn't heard about it until the news of her decision to leave AEW made the rounds online so who knows if it gained any traction or found an audience. I usually listen to Neil Young, Tupac, Marvin Gaye, or Warren Zevon so maybe I'm not her target demographic for listeners. If she releases some Johnny Cash covers, there's always a chance, though.

It will be interesting to see if this "press release" of her decision not to renew her All Elite deal was geared toward letting the wrestling world that she's on the market, or if it's a way to distance herself in some ways from the industry to try to parlay her fan base into a different career path. If she can make a living singing or on Canadian television, it's definitely an easier occupation compared to the toll that pro wrestling takes on the body.

In some ways, Taya just wasn't at the right place at the right time to truly have a major run in the business. It's disappointing when you consider how many notable organizations she's worked for throughout her 15-year career, but timing seemed to be the biggest issue. She has the talent, she wouldn't have gotten the chances to work at those places if she didn't, but there was never a time that there was a path for her to take the ball and run with it so we don't know if she would've fumbled or scored a touchdown. I'm aware that since she's Canadian, a hockey reference would've been more appropriate, but the football analogies seemed much more apropos for parallels to sports entertainment. Although, a Bobby Orr comparison to Taya Valkyrie would be tremendous. 

After her debut in the sport, she worked for AAA in Mexico in the early-2010s, but the entire lucha libre scene was completely under the radar at the time, which is more or less the direct opposite of where it is now after the WWE purchase of the promotion a few years ago. With Lucha Underground as an American spinoff of AAA, she wrestled on the television series, but we discussed the limitations, and ultimately, the reasons that the project couldn't survive long term. Yes, it was a cult favorite, but the networks was too small to generate the ad revenue to keep it a float, and without a live touring schedule, it wasn't a concept that could generate nearly enough revenue to retain talent.

She landed in Impact Wrestling in 2017, and had the KO title run that was mentioned earlier during the course of the three and a half years that she wrestled there. Unfortunately, the most substantive screen time of her career was at such a low point in the history of TNA that you had to send a search party to find the show. Keep in mind, this was after the show was canceled from Spike TV and bounced around a series of networks before it was rescued by Anthem. During Taya's tenure, Impact aired on Pop TV, The Pursuit Channel, and AXS. There were times when ice fishing was literally the lead-in programming for the wrestling show.

By February 2021, she was inked to a WWE deal, working as Franky Monet on NXT television. It was very disappointing that when she was finally offered a contract, it was in the midst of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, leading to her release less than a year later as the company made budget cuts to compensate for the lack of live gate revenue at the time. It was purely a corporate maneuver to pay lip service to the shareholders as a way to keep the stock price stable. The release had nothing to do with ability as a performer, and all things considered, she wasn't truly given an opportunity to make a name for herself.

She returned to Impact for a year until she signed with All Elite Wrestling in 2023. As I said, she didn't get the chance to do much of anything during the three years that she was on the payroll so she doesn't have much momentum as a commodity in the industry. Obviously, it wasn't her fault if she wasn't scheduled to compete, but the reality is, "out of sight, out of mind" can sometimes be the narrative in the wrestling business. Again, how many fans realized that she still worked for the company?

As far as where she might go from here, it all depends on if she wants to continue wrestling at all. At 43, she's not past her prime as an athlete, but she's undoubtedly in the latter stages of her in-ring career. With only one match this year at an ROH taping, it appears that she doesn't have much interest in working the independent scene. Another return to TNA is possible if she wants another steady paycheck from the sports entertainment industry, but that would be more or less running in place with no new ground to cover. She has a track record in AAA, but I'm not sure if what she did in Mexico more than a decade ago has any cache for the WWE project today. In theory, she could always end up back in NXT, but there are a lot of moving parts involved with that, specifically if there are call-ups to the main roster or not. If the brand needed to replenish some depth on the roster, a comeback for Franky Monet, a veteran with a lot of television experience would make sense.

Should CM Punk win the NXT title?

When NXT was set to go head-to-head with AEW's Blood and Guts episode of Dynamite, WWE brass knew it was an opportunity to take away a portion of the audience from one of its competitor's specials. All Elite is a competitor in the sense that it's in the same business and are generally trying to target a similar demographic, but make no mistake about it, Tony Khan isn't going to surpass TKO by any metric. The star ratings don't count unless they start to include a cash prize. Still, one of the many reasons that WWE maintains its grip on the market share as much as it does is partially because it doesn't leave the door open for competition to expand its audience. When Vince McMahon coasted on his monopoly throughout the 2010s, there was enough dissatisfaction within the industry that there became a demand for an alternative, leading to the formation to All Elite Wrestling in the first place.

In many ways, the WWE office allowed Tony Khan to trip over himself, and the argument could be made that he put a ceiling on his national product with the way that he tailors the presentation to a die hard demographic rather than offering something different to the general wrestling fan. The Blood and Guts matches, specifically the women's segment, was proof that Tony has no regard for any other audience than the most die hard fans that will watch professional wrestling under almost any circumstance. We've seen it time and time again, the Meltzer scale is how Tony judges his results, not ratings, revenue, or pay-per-view buys. If you want to debate that, when CM Punk was still on the roster, Dynamite drew an average of around a million viewers. The show garnered 620,000 viewers last week, nearly a 40% decline from four year ago. The lower the viewership, the lower the ad revenue, and with less of an audience to market toward, there's less of a reason for sponsors to be involved.

It's ironic that the NXT/Dynamite competition was the story this week, specifically because there was a time when Dynamite had a health lead in the numbers, albeit against a developmental show. In fact, NXT was moved to Tuesdays in an effort to improve its numbers. CM Punk was the reason that Dynamite often had the better night on cable for Dynamite, but was the prime source of competition when he challenged for the NXT championship against Grayson Waller.

Waller and Punk have chirped at each other in the past, and with Punk as the true contrarian that he is (often hypocritical as well), it is on brand for him to do something outside of the box to challenge for the developmental brand's championship. Granted, the notion that a developmental show would be on national television is an oxymoron, but it garners decent enough numbers to land a broadcast television deal, and if nothing else, it gives the performers valuable experience, even if the content of the shows are absolutely useless in the grand scheme of things. There's a very clear line to let the audience know that what happens in NXT has more or less zero effect on the main roster, and if someone arrives to Raw or Smackdown with a level of hype, the vast majority of the time, it has nothing to do with anything they did on the developmental show.

In this particular case, it gave Grayson Waller, who was absolutely dead in the water as a character when he was paired with Austin Theory a few years ago, a chance to completely rejuvenate his career. Again, it's not as though any major business or anything of major substance is going to be done in NXT, but it basically allows for a "trial run" so to speak on how a new direction for a performer might get over on the main roster. Waller defeated Punk, with an assist from Kevin Owens ahead of the Owens/Punk bout scheduled for Smackdown on Friday. That gives Waller something to boast about, and potentially a direction for him in the future if he gets called back up to Smackdown, while adding another layer to the match in a few days. Of course, this interference gave an excuse for Waller to retain, but was also a way to keep Punk strong.

Still, the whole scenario makes you wonder, should Punk win the NXT championship?

Obviously, Punk doesn't need the belt, nor does the brand need him as champion on a long-term basis since it would dilute the mission statement, but again, Punk has always prided himself on going against the grain, and it would definitely be a way to add some variety into the WWE landscape during the almost unavoidable lull in momentum between Survivor Series and The Royal Rumble, the start of Wrestlemania season.

Punk already worked an event under the AAA banner when the Mexican brand was brought to Chicago to oppose the All Out pay-per-view in September. I don't see any reason not to throw a wrinkle into the fabric of NXT, with the championship being brought to Raw or Smackdown for a limited amount of time, as it spotlights the brand, as well as gives the audience something unique before the cards get dealt for the previously mentioned Wrestlemania season. The other aspect of this is that while Punk is a jerk, he's a talented jerk with a dedicated fan base. Even Punk's most outspoken critics, and there's a lot of that criticism that phony Phil deserves, will acknowledge that his comeback stint with the company has been stellar. Sure, it's okay to collect the Saudi blood money as long as it goes in his pocket, and it even bought the Saudi government an apology when he was there, but the bottom line is, CM Punk moves the needle, putting him in a rare category in the modern era of the workers that have the ability to do so.

That cache is at a level of stardom that CM Punk is as over as he's going to be, and regardless of what he does from now until the time he hangs up his boots, he will maintain that level of star power, another rare tier to be included in for the sports entertainment industry. It's somewhat similar to John Cena, as far as, Punk doesn't have to win another match or another championship for the rest of his career, he will always have that popularity. He's a cemented superstar with nothing left to prove, even if there's still business he can do as an in-ring workers. Because of that, if he would hypothetically win the NXT championship at some point, it would do zero damage to his position in the company, but would be a major boost for the performer that would defeat him for the championship. I don't see the office running with the angle of such an established main roster star working NXT television in such a role, but I'd still say that it would be something worth considering, as it would provide some meat on the bone so to speak for the brand with some entertaining television on a limited basis, particularly with Cruz Montana seemingly moved to Raw after his surprise debut as a part of the 946 stable this past week.