Who will win at MITB?

One of the biggest selling points of the Money in The Bank pay-per-view, which will take place tomorrow night in New Orleans, the city where this year's Wrestlemania was originally scheduled to take place before it was moved to Las Vegas, is that the results of the ladder matches have often play a big role in some of the most memorable moments of the modern era. Those MITB cash-ins are scenarios that become pivotal points in the careers, and sometimes even the direction of the promotion itself. As I wrote in an article earlier this week about the LA Knight/Roman Reigns title bout, the MITB PPV doesn't have the same cache as the traditional "big four" events since there's not the same amount of history behind it, but the gimmick, with the implications that it can have, puts Money in The Bank just one rung under the early PPV concepts.

Of course, the reason that the gimmick gained so much stream is the debate about who is going to win, as well as who should win to earn a future title shot. With the men's and women's ladder matches on the card, it brings two fields of competitors to take into account for a potential winner. One of the wrinkles into the fabric of the current WWE landscape is that the MITB PPV usually takes place in July, but was shuffled around this year so with the event closer to the Royal Rumble, will that effect the planning of the ladder matches?

The men's ladder match will be Bron Breakker vs. Je'Von Evans vs. Trick Williams vs. Penta vs. CM Punk vs. Kevin Owens for a title shot. This one looks like it will be a toss up since there's a case to be made for each of them to be possible winners, depending on both the short and long-term plans of the office. Granted, there's more of a case to be made for some to be positioned for a path to the title picture in 2026 than others, but it's not as though any of the names listed are just there to take a spot. It goes without saying that Bron Breakker is a guy with all the tools to be a main event star, assuming that he can stay healthy as times goes on. That's not to say that he's necessarily injury prone, but rather to point out that we've seen injuries derail plans before. Outside of the athletic skills that he brings to the table, Breakker seems to be a guy that "gets it" in terms of the scope of modern WWE, the company is there to entertain the fans. Even if the business still should be about getting heat as far as the overall health of the business, the reality is that the heat of the industry is contained within the context of the show. We've seen occasional clips from live events where Bron will "sneak" a high five from a young fan at ringside. It's nothing that he's going to do on the wide scale of international television on Raw since it would dilute his on-screen character, but that small moment to break character gave the fan a memorable experience. That mindset can be applied to the bigger picture as his role within the company gets bigger, specifically that he appears to understand the assignment as far as a representative of the company, which is key to the overall business plan with the importance of media appearances to promote the brand. Plus, Breakker is only 28 years old and has a poise well beyond his experience level. If the office stacks their chips on Bron Breakker, they could potentially have a major star for the next 15 years. That being said, given the nature of his character, Breakker is someone that isn't going to use a surprise cash-in, but rather smash his way through The Royal Rumble to get a title shot.. Obviously, it's anyone's guess if he wins the Rumble this year, but he simply doesn't need the MITB briefcase to get over as a title contender.

While Je'Von Evans is still painfully thin, he has time to fill out his physique as time goes on. At 22, there's no need to rush him, which is why I'd rule him out of winning the contract. Let's be honest here, Evans winning would be a surprise, but he was probably booked for this segment to provide the social media moment with the ladders. In the social media age, that's not a bad position to be in, as it's something that can get his name out there to the more causal viewer that is aware of WWE but only watches sporadically. Some of the same can be said for Trick Williams, the guy looks like a star and carries himself on television as if he's someone to pay attention to. You can see how he became more comfortable and confident in his persona on the main roster compared to his run as TNA champion. The possibility of Trick Williams as a main eventer is definitely valid, but given his status as the US champion, there's no reason for him to win the title shot since he still has more to do in his current role.

Initially, my guess for who was going to be victorious in the ladder match would've been Kevin Owens, based off of his momentum from his recent return from neck surgery. I've said it before and I will say it again, management knows the valuable commodity that they have with Kevin Owens on the roster. He can make the best of anything that they ask him to do, and there's a reason that he was chosen as Steve Austin's opponent for his one-off return to the ring years after his retirement from full-time action. Owens is a performer that probably still hasn't gotten the type of title reign that he deserves as far as his ability to excel as a top star in the organization so the MITB pay-per-view opens the door for that. However, as his feud with CM Punk has developed on television, I'm going to say that I don't see Owens winning the match for the same reason that I don't see Punk winning it, their feud will keep them busy for an extended period of time. The championship wouldn't necessarily add anything to their storyline because it's based on a personal grudge, not the pursuit of the belt. If anything, the two of them preventing each other from winning the contract might be used to further their angle.

That leaves Penta as the competitor that will win the briefcase, and I think he's the grappler that should win it. After his match with Roman Reigns in Mexico City, the fan base wants to see him win the championship, and a cash-in moment could give the audience that payoff, while keeping Reigns strong since it would be a surprise situation, allowing for a trilogy bout. The ability to give a reason for a rematch maximizes the buzz that was around the Mexico City contest. Penta cashes in to win the championship so a third match would decide the series. As I mentioned before, Penta is such a marketable character and his authenticity, even through the promos in broken English connect with the audience. Penta has a charismatic "it factor" that overcomes any language barrier. The office would be missing the boat if Penta doesn't get some type of title reign relatively soon so that's why I'd pick him to win the ladder match.

The women's Money in The Bank ladder match is Sol Ruca vs. Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Lash Legend vs. Tiffany Stratton for the same type of contract. First, I'd say that the women's field of competitors is much more cut and dry in terms of possible winners, mostly because most of the characters are already involved with other issues the brand. When they have a direction on television already, sometimes its best for that angle to conclude before, "when will she cash in" becomes the biggest focus of their role in the company. That's why I think Sol Ruca should be the one to win the contract, and I'd say that's also who the office is going to book to get the briefcase. Sol Ruca has a unique look with the beach attire and has a character that lends itself to fan support. She seems to have done well so far during her time on the main roster, and all things considered, if the office wants to invest more stock into her persona as a marketable star going forward, the MITB gimmick is a way to do that. Tiffany doesn't need it again, Jayne already as a title, Lola Vice is too new to the scene, and Lash Legend is mostly working as a part of a tag team. Roxanne Perez has done very well as a part of The Judgment day faction so she'd be the other possible winner.

The biggest takeaway from the Money in The Bank pay-per-view tomorrow night in New Orleans might be that while the ladder matches have star power to add the sizzle to the segment, this event might be a key piece of the puzzle for making bigger stars in the grand scheme of things. 

What's the status of Roman Reigns?

Is Roman Reigns overhyped?

Real estate mogul turned podcast czar, Conrad Thompson was on the Ariel Helwani Show earlier this week and one of the main points of discussion was Conrad's previous comment that one of WWE's top current stars, Roman Reigns is the most overhyped superstar in wrestling history. Conrad, who is a slick businessman that parlayed his passion for professional wrestling into a profitable side gig, influencing much of the wrestling media landscape today, defended his opinion. Thompson pointed out that Roman was given all the bells and whistles, including the best talker in the business, Paul Heyman, to get over. Conrad went on to explain that Roman's slow, dramatic entrance is rather stale by now and his limited schedule limits his impact on business.

While I think some of Conrad's assessments were too general, I agree with some of his philosophy, even if I wouldn't categorize it to the same degree. It should be noted that Thompson mentioned that he wanted to see the performers make as much money as possible, and it seemed like he genuinely wasn't trying to tear down the success, but rather provide context to his prior statement. I've heard from those that have worked directly with him that Conrad is a nice guy that sincerely appreciates the business. Who knows how accurate that is or isn't, but in fairness to the discussion, it should be noted that he didn't come off as attempting to be controversial just for publicity.

The interview made me consider the question at the center of the conversation, is Roman Reigns overhyped?

Of course, pro wrestling is subjective. The green shirt guy that spends thousands of dollars on front row tickets to almost every pay-per-view is probably thrilled any time he gets to see Roman's very well-done, albeit very repetitive extended routine in the ring. On the other end of the spectrum, you'll have the die hard All Elite Wrestling fan base that will claim that Roman is a subpar performer because he doesn't do flips and Meltzer doesn't rave about all of his pay-per-view matches.

From a more objective point of view, I think the analysis of Roman Reigns' run at the top reveals a mixed bag, often reflective of the status of the company itself since he was so closely tied to the representation of the brand in the modern era.

It would be too lengthy to detail the pitfalls of the failed baby face super push from over a decade ago, and I already wrote several articles at the time that parsed the particulars of that era. The bottom line is, for the vast majority of the first half of his career, the office put the real-life Joe Anoa'i in a no-win situation. By 2014, TNA got canceled by Spike TV after it was revealed that Vince Russo still secretly worked for the organization after network executives specifically told Dixie Carter that they didn't want him involved. Russo's errant e mail of notes that was sent to PWInsider's Mike Johnson instead of TNA announcer, Mike Tenay revealed that Dixie lied to the network so Impact was canceled. This left WWE with an even more dominate position in the industry, and basically if fans want to watch pro wrestling in the United States, they were going to watch WWE. They were going to watch McMahon's personal agenda play out on television if they wanted a mainstream sports entertainment option. Vince anointed Roman Reigns as the next John Cena, and fans were going to accept that or else. You know the fan reaction was bad when it become commonplace for Kevin Dunn to turn down the crowd audio to attempt to disguise the boos from the fans. Roman was going to hit the same basic move set, throwing a comical amount of superman punches, and the fans were supposed to buy it because, "he's the big dog, pal!"

The cringe worthy promos made things even worse, as the guy that should've been the Samoan monster was booked into scenarios where he looked like he was desperately trying to be a carbon copy of the previously mentioned Cena. Other wrestlers that were more over with the audience were sacrificed at the expense of the Roman Reigns super push, only adding to the hostility from the fan base. More than anything, it was such a ham-handed attempt to project Roman as the next John Cena that even the most casual WWE fan could see how contrived the entire premise was. The Rock endorsed him when Reigns won the Rumble so he has to be a true main eventer, right? He beat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, that has to be the passing of the torch, right? The reality is, the hostility toward the Roman Reigns baby face push was directed at management, not the real-life performer.

It's no coincidence that when Roman finally got over as the biggest star in the company in the early-2020s that he was allowed to organically develop into the first truly main event version of Roman Reigns, not the next John Cena. He evolved as a heel and that cache was eventually used to give him a baby face run. He enhanced his in-ring work during that renewed run and find himself on the mic, which is why he can do solid promo work today. Pairing him with Heyman and eventually building the original Bloodline stable around him was less about propping him up and more about polishing the overall presentation of a dominate champion.

There's no doubt that Roman Reigns became a legitimate money-drawing star for the WWE, and that isn't possible if his status is overhyped.

However, and this is the biggest counterpoint to be made, the circumstances that got Roman Reigns over to that level, ran their course. The Bloodline concept has become a caricature of what made it successful so the office is trying to convince the audience that they are watching high-level drama rather than a retread of what they saw years ago. The audience doesn't buy that they are seeing a epic saga play out because they aren't, the fans are watching a replay of the same concepts from years earlier. It's a forced narrative that missed the mark, with the slow and often boring Seth Rollins/Roman Reigns main event at Summer Slam as a prime example. We already saw The Shield narrative reruns before, there simply isn't a demand for it now.

If I had to throw my two cents into the matter, it's not so much that Roman Reigns is overhyped, but rather that the current Roman card is simply overplayed.

Reigns was the champion for four years in a row, something that was extremely difficult to get over in the modern era because of the countless hours of television on the WWE line-up. It was much easier to get more mileage out of a title run when there was only one or two hours of original programming each week. That being said, as much as it was an accomplishment to have a four-year run as the titleholder and as much as it was very well-done to be able to boost Cody Rhodes when the belt was finally switched, the reality is that Roman Reigns more or less had him time to shine as the focus of the company. Taking into account the several years that flopped and then stellar run as the dominate champion, there isn't much more to do with Roman in the main event picture. So, to say that Roman was overhyped probably isn't completely fair, but there's undoubtedly a case to be made that he was overexposed, especially during the past two years.

What's next for LA Knight?

Is LA Knight cooked?

I'm only slightly older than the demographic that currently uses that term, but I'm an old soul so it all sounds silly to me. Six-seven used to mean a dramatic double down until both competitors got to their feet to continue the battle.

Still, the question is worth discussion, is LA Knight on the verge of being regulated back down to the mid-card for the rest of his WWE career?

I hope I'm wrong, but I think there might be a chance that this weekend's title bout at Money in The Bank in New Orleans might be his last hurrah for him in the main event picture. The reason I say that is simple, Knight is more or less in the same position today as he was when he challenged for the championship against Roman Reigns three years ago in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel. That's actually meant as a compliment, not a criticism, of LA Knight's ability to maintain his popularity because much like his initial surge in popularity that brought him to that title shot in 2023, Knight has kept himself over with the audience without most of the WWE promotional machine behind him. It's not an easy task to stay relevant among the WWE fan base when there are some many moving parts within the landscape of the global, publicly-traded corporation, specifically when the focus of management can shift at any given time, depending on what the next business move is. If they put extra steam behind the AAA project the way they did last month to promote Triplemania, and to build to the Penta/Reigns match in Mexico City, there are different priorities for the office compared to when the writing team starts to build toward Wrestlemania or another signature pay-per-view.

While the prestige of the Money in The Bank event has risen within the past several years, mostly because of how the results of the ladder matches have been used to create memorable moments in the history of the modern era, I think it's fair to say that it's still not considered on the same level of the traditional PPV brands. There's usually a buzz around MITB as the contenders get lined up since that implies scenarios where they could jump into the title scene, but the event doesn't have the cache of something like The Royal Rumble or Summer Slam. 

That might be an indication, much like Crown Jewel was in 2023, that this title match between Roman and Knight is nothing more than a placeholder to give the champion an opponent to get through until Survivor Series. Don't get me wrong, LA Knight is a guy that has overachieved for the majority of his career. As Eli Drake, he was a bright spot in one of the bleaker times in TNA history, which covers a lot of ground, and he stood out during the earlier episodes of NWA Power. Furthermore, four years ago, Vince McMahon saw him as Max Dupri, the manager of a gimmick tag team. Outside of the fact that Vince usually didn't put stock in tag teams, at least not in the twenty years before that, the best case scenario was that McMahon saw him as a secondary figure, not even an in-ring performer. LA Knight certainly proved McMahon wrong on that assumption.

That said, I don't think it was a case of the office trying to minimize Knight's popularity, although there have definitely been situations over the years when management shut down a character that got over with the audience that wasn't in their plans, but rather the timing of the scenario. Credit to LA Knight, he's a talented worker that got himself over with the crowd, but that was in the middle of the two-year storyline between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. It wouldn't have made sense for Roman to drop the title before he finally put Cody over since the lengthy tenure as champion is basically what made the title switch as memorable as it was. This isn't to take anything away from LA Knight, but not him or anyone else on the roster would've justified deviating from that plan, especially because the corporation finally had someone that could take the John Cena role in terms of the representative of the brand when Cody Rhodes became the top guy.

Unfortunately, history might repeat itself and LA Knight could be a victim of circumstances again.

There was a case to be made for Penta to win the championship in Mexico City, and I don't think it's quite as definitive as the Cody angle, but it wouldn't surprise me if the office keeps Reigns undefeated until he drops the title to Oba Femi next year in Saudi Arabia. Again, I think there's more room for the title to change hands before that since Oba and Roman haven't had any direct interaction yet, but as I said, it wouldn't surprise me if the office took the most basic path that will saw Roman put Femi over strong on the biggest stage possible.

That's the question within all of this, if LA Knight wins the title, who does he work with? Sami Zayn is WWE champion on Smackdown, and CM Punk is currently busy with a feud against Kevin Owens, which should be given the proper time to unfold in a manner that will maximize its potential as compelling programming. Gunter is still involved on Smackdown, and while he could theoretically jump brands to work with Knight, which would be a solid pairing, it's doubtful that the writing team will shuffle that many pieces if they have Gunther penciled in already for something on Smackdown.

Ultimately, that's why the Roman/Knight match at MITB this weekend seems like a placeholder rather than a new chapter. Of course, shuffling the deck would be helpful, it certainly freshened up the dynamics on Smackdown, but there appears to be bigger fish to fry on Raw. Yes, LA Knight is talented enough to get a run as the world champion. Hey, Jack Swagger was the champion once. And, yes, it would be a great moment within the context of the MITB pay-per-view. However, between the plans for Oba Femi, who is more than 15 years younger, and the possibility of a Penta run that could be used to assist the AAA venture, how much meat on the bone is there for an LA Knight tenure as champion?

As mentioned, I hope I'm wrong and we get the surprise switch, even if I'm doubtful since the office just did something similar with Sami. Perhaps, the WWE needs to get out of its TKO comfort zone so to speak as far as not pivoting throughout the year if plans were already made. That's not to say that changing the direction every week is helpful, it isn't, as we saw during Vince's latter tenure as the boss, but a degree of flexibility to capitalize on trends would be helpful if the pace of the product is stagnant. At 43, lA Night still have at least a few of the prime years of his career left, but the biggest takeaway from the Roman/Knight bout, based on the similarities between the circumstances of their match in 2023 and the title match this weekend, it looks like the office views LA Knight as a marketable upper mid-card talent, not necessarily the world champion.

What's next for Jaida Parker?

The Attitude era, especially in retrospect, was such a catch-22 for the pro wrestling industry. On one hand, the competition within the business fueled the engine that propelled the genre into pop culture, a position that it hadn't been for almost a decade by that point, and a spot that didn't seem obtainable just a few years earlier when a laundry list of cartoonish gimmicks were featured in an attempt to reshape the image of the sport after the steroid scandal of the early-90s.

Yes, competition, as it is within any business, is the key. Eric Bischoff recruited former WWF stars to Nitro, and that along with the combination of a stellar under card of cruiser weight talent took Nitro to the position of the highest rated show on cable television in 1997. With Vince McMahon on the ropes for the first time in his life (certainly not the last as we've seen in the past few years), he refused to do the job for Uncle Sam, but media mogul, Ted Turner's "pro rasslin" took a firm lead ahead of the third generation promoter.

As a result, Vince pushed the envelope to keep pace with Turner's product, and ultimately, took the on-screen drama further than Time Warner's Standards and Practices department would allow so the tide turned in Raw's favor. When Mike Tyson was banned from boxing for legitimately biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997, the WWF had a scripted place for him on the USA network in 1998. Stone Cold and Iron Mike getting into a scuffle on live television was one of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport. You couldn't see Tyson on boxing pay-per-view for nearly two years, but he had a place at Wrestlemania in 1998. Vince ponying up the cash to land the controversial former heavyweight champion wouldn't have been on the table unless the New World Order put pressure on McMahon.

That's the upside of competition, it pushes each promotion to offer the best that they have or they get left in the dust.

On the other hand, when the WWF and WCW traded punches every week in an attempt to get the better of the ratings war, there was too much of a focus on a single week rather than the big picture. The hotshot approach burned the candle at both ends, and you can only do that for so long until it fizzles out. The competition of the late-90s produced some of the best pro wrestling television of all time. The flip side of that is that in hindsight, some of it was absolute drek that doesn't hold up today. More importantly, the opportunity cost for the moments of that era was that the hotshot approach always eventually leads to a down period just as long, if not longer than the initial hot streak. The casualties of the Monday night war saw WCW go from its previously mentioned spot at the top of the cable charts in 1997 to out of business three years later. ECW was too big to be small and too small to be big so it crumbled until the pressure of the industry. The WWF won the war, but eventually the WWE floundered through years of stale content and a state of complacency.

That's not to say that the hotshot approach can't be an effective booking tactic, it can, when done in a careful manner.

While the Attitude era overdid it with that philosophy, one of the trademarks of that era, because the office tried to prevent the audience from channel surfing, was that many of the narratives of a bigger picture played out within the context of a specific episode. By nature, that necessitates a faster pace to the program since all of the dots have to be connected for the payoff before the show goes off the air.

That's why the Jaida Parker angle from last week on Raw might be a segment that management should take note of going forward.

As we know, the Bloodline angle had a lot of steam to it a few years ago, but the storyline ran its course and got to the point of being very tedious. The fact that Jacob Fatu vs. Roman Reigns was a carbon copy of Jey Uso vs. Reigns from years earlier is proof that the writing team is trying to stretch out the storyline when there simply isn't anything left to be done. The majority of The Bloodline faction has a "been there, done that" atmosphere to the segments, mostly because they have been there and done that within the WWE landscape.

The only way to add some type of variety to the faction was to bring in some new faces, but not through additions to the group, we've already seen Samoans added and subtracted across WWE programming so to throw someone new into the faction without a firm purpose would see them flounder. That's why it's best for Zilla Fatu, the son of the late Umaga, to get a chance to establish himself in NXT. The other option is to add new performers for The Bloodline to work with, which is why the Royce Keys faction was brought to Raw. Sure, it was a very deliberate maneuver since Keys had been off the radar for the most part so the group was more or less shoehorned onto the scene, but considering the circumstances of The Bloodline desperately needing something new to work with, it's understandable. Plus, Keys and his crew were given credibility and made to look legitimate so it gives the audience a reason to stay tuned for the storyline as it evolves going forward.

Jaida, who was rumored to be involved with Jey Uso in real life, showed up at the beginning of Raw, claiming that she was there to talk to the General Manager, Adam Pearce. The tension between The Bloodline and the Keys group boiled until a confrontation at the end of the show when there was a brawl between the two stables. The stunt double in place of Jacob Fatu took a tremendous bump on the hood of the car as it jolted into view. Parker gets out of the car and looks concerned until it was revealed that she was aligned with Keys all along.

Ironically, this was literally a case of crash TV, but the point is, there are rarely times in the modern era that a specific edition of WWE television is directly episodic within the span of one broadcast. Yes, I understand that you can't throw everything against the wall every week, that's the lesson to take away from the Attitude era, but in this scenario, it worked very well to build to the reveal at the end of the night and it leaves somewhat of a cliffhanger for next week, which is also a rarity in the modern era.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the copy and paste format of most of the modern WWE programming is an unintentional pitfall of the sheer amount of content that the company produces each week. The WWE is a well-oiled machine that churns out countless hours of programming to collect the massive amount of cash from the media rights deals. It's much easier to stack segments on a run sheet each week and then rinse and repeat to keep everything steady. The difference is that a decade ago, you could skip Raw for weeks without actually missing anything of importance, but thankfully, the week-to-week programming is more focused toward progressing the narrative now. Still, it will be interesting to see if the Jaida Parker segment opens the door for a more fast-paced show in the next week months.

What's the status of MLW?

I have to be honest, when I heard that Major League Wrestling, the group that scored a $20 million anti-trust lawsuit victory against WWE a few years ago, was not only going to be on the Tubi streaming platform with their Fusion program, but also plan a return to live pay-per-view in November, it was a little surprising. Considering how rock solid WWE's slick legal team usually is, the fact that the company had to shell out millions of dollars, it more or less proved that WWE did in fact interfere with the MLW TV deal for the Reelz channel several years ago.

I'm still not sure why any of the suites would've put the organization in any legal jeopardy,because it's not as though MLW was going to topple the global, publicly-traded corporation if their original television contract would've ran its course unobstructed on Reelz. That said, if you can win $20 million from Vince McMahon, as the settlement was before Vince was exiled in disgrace for misconduct allegations, it wouldn't be unreasonable to take that cash and moderately retire. Trust me, if I land even a few million dollars, I'm going to quietly disappear to the middle of in Montana to continue writing about the sport without any reference or notice. As much as I love the heritage of western Pennsylvania, it would be much easier to avoid the family members that I don't want to see at the holidays, or the general nonsense of modern society if I could slip away like DB Cooper.

It goes without saying that MLW boss, Court Bauer is much more of an entrepreneur than that.

The reason that I was surprised with the Tubi deal and the announcement of an upcoming pay-per-view in Chicago was mostly because of how much of the media landscape is still influx. The dust isn't close to being settled in terms of what properties end up under specific banners, or who will own certain assets in the future. As an example, we've seen how the proposed Warner Brothers Discovery merger with Paramount was held up with lawsuits from almost a dozen states until a recent settlement was reached, allowing negotiations to continue before the deal is finalized. The buyout of WBD comes just four years after Warner Brothers and Discovery merged, signaling a further consolidation of media properties, as the advancement of technology influences not only the distribution of content, but also the amount of potential content that viewers have available to them at any given time.

It goes without saying that these moving parts of conglomerates and production companies have an impact far beyond the scope of just professional wrestling, but the reality is that those decisions can, and often have, had an effect on the sports entertainment industry.

As know, cord-cutting and streaming in general are becoming more commonplace as live channels are continuing to be included in a variety of streaming packages. The fact that the number of streaming services and their total costs have begun to hover around the same price of a traditional cable package is a different situation entirely. The fact is, with the consolidation of more assets under fewer corporations could eventually give those platforms enough ownership of content, as well as its distribution, to be able to continue to raise the price of streaming options.

The point being, it's still a developing scenario that could change swiftly and drastically in the future.

As an example from the WBD merger with Paramount, depending on the fine print as far as what assets Paramount might leave on the table, such as CNN, to get the deal approved, it's possible that all of the content on HBO Max, which includes the Discovery content as well from the 2022 merger, could end up on Paramount+ in the relatively near future. That gives Paramount thousands of hours of content that can be added to their streaming platform, a notion that the corporation can use to possibly increase the price of a Paramount+ subscription.

We've seen this type of combination before, even when it's with in-house programming. Disney bought 20th Century Fox in 2019 and acquired the rights to Hulu in the process. Since Disney already owned ESPN, as the streaming landscape evolved, the corporation offered a bundle of Disney+, the option for live channels similar to cable through Hulu Live, and the ESPN+ platform. Of course, those purchases and the ability to bundle content allows for Disney to increase the price of the bundle package.

You can expect Paramount to do something similar when the details are finalized with the WBD merger.

While Tubi is owned by the Fox corporation, it's important to note that Tubi is a free platform that is driven by ads. Tubi being one of the well-known free options is very important for Major League Wrestling, because in short, they don't have to compete with the price of Netflix to watch Raw or the cost of an ESPN subscription for pay-per-views. One of the biggest topics of discussion after the majority of WWE content went behind a paywall was that the total cost to follow the product was getting too expensive for the average fan, especially in the current economic uncertainty.

Essentially, a free wrestling program within the modern landscape certainly makes it easier for the promotion to potentially expand its fan base, which is the entire point of getting on the new platform. The bigger the viewership, the more potentially revenue that can be made through ticket sales, commercials, and PPV buys.

That being said, from strictly a pro wrestling perspective, MLW finds itself in somewhat of a tricky spot. There's more pro wrestling content available now than any other time in history so securing a portion of the market share is a difficult task. That's not a knock on MLW, but rather to point out that with the endless amount of entertainment options today, it's more difficult for any pro wrestling commodity to generate a sustained following than in the past. Every television network, Youtube video, and podcast are trying to get their piece of the pie.

It goes without saying that MLW isn't looking to compete with WWE or AEW, and truth be told, they shouldn't be. Major League Wrestling looks to offer an alternative to the corporate wrestling of WWE, and the nonstop car crash style of AEW. Profitability and revenue are the true barometer of success. MLW should look to find itself a profitable niche, taking the bits and pieces of those overlooked within the competition of the industry, and allowing those aspects to shine to their fullest potential. A prime example is that Killer Kross, who garnered a cult following before his WWE contract expired in August of last year, is the current MLW Heavyweight champion. For those that thought that Kross was underutilized and underappreciated in WWE, they can watch him get the opportunity to have a main event role in MLW. Some of the same can be said for Shotzi Blackhart, who was released from the WWE, but had notable popularity even after she went back to the independent circuit. She was the MLW Women's champion until she dropped the title last month. Mistico is a guy that is wrestling literally around the world so his involvement in MLW is a good advertisement for the brand. I'm not sure the same can be said for Austin Aries or Matt Riddle, but they are at least recognizable names so it's worth taking the chance.

One of the pitfalls that MLW will have to avoid, and they've already dodged it in some ways with the marathon tapings for the Fusion program that put several months of episodes in the can, is the predicament of being too small to be big, and too big to be small in terms of the scope of the promotion. That scenario is ultimately what caused ECW to crumble, and led to Ring Of Honor being sold to Sinclair in 2011. Thankfully, with the advancements in technology mentioned earlier, MLW still has to be careful, but has a better chance at an expansion that doesn't eventually become a detriment to the organization.

It's tough to compete with the billionaire that is Tony Khan, and the billionaire corporation of TKO so MLW has branded themselves as a specialty project in some ways, giving the audience something different than they are going to find elsewhere. Yes, that's a moving target that can be more difficult at times, but the point is, giving underutilized talent, such as Kross and Shotzi, the chance to shine could be a unique selling point. It's good to see that Bauer seems aware of his position in the industry, offering early-bird pricing for the MLW pay-per-view of $9.99, with an increase of $19.99 after that and then $24.99 the day of the event. It goes without saying that there's a lot of competition for the PPV dollar in the industry between WWE, AEW, and the occasional TNA pay-per-views so making the Saturday Night Super Fight show more affordable is another strong selling point.

Of course, it will be interesting to see how the November 7th event unfolds in Chicago, especially after there were already two signature shows from WWE and AEW in the city last week, but the MLW website already lists the show as sold out. More than just the live attendance, it will be intriguing to see what takes place at the show, and how it might enhance the company's status in the industry. Furthermore, if the pay-per-view buys are solid, it could provide a key metric that proves that MLW could find that previously mentioned profitable niche on an even bigger scale. Between the Tubi deal and the potential PPV success, this could be a win-win scenario for both those on the roster and the organization. 

What's the status of Big Cass?

When reports surfaced that Big Bill was on his way out of All Elite Wrestling in the middle of this past summer, I wrote that the rumors of his impending return to WWE made sense, as it was the next logical step after he spent time in both TNA and AEW to rejuvenate his career. He was cut from the company eight years earlier and had to deal with substance and mental health issues before he could get his career back on track. Thankfully, he cleaned up his life, and when vignettes began airing for his comeback to Raw before he made his official return to television at the beginning of August, it looked like TKO was getting the best version of Big Cass of his entire wrestling career. 

No pun intended, but when Cass was a tag team with Enzo more than a decade earlier, he was a puppy with big paws in some respects. He wasn't a guy that had previous TV experience or a long-term independent career, he was mostly a product of the WWE system. Understandably, there was a learning curve. Obviously, Cass had the size that WWE looks for and he was an athletic big man, which is key to success in most scenarios in the modern era, but the argument could be made that he didn't have the "glue" to the overall performance.

In many ways, regardless of what happens with his current WWE run, Bill Morrissey is a success story. He was a guy that could've easily become another cautionary tale in the pro wrestling business that has already had way too many tragedies throughout its history. However, Morrissey cleaned himself up and made his way back to the national level of sports entertainment for the past several years, which isn't an easy task with the crowded current landscape of the business.

As much as Morrissey was able to stand out from the pack, it's just as difficult, and in some cases, even more difficult to avoid getting lost in the shuffle.

It goes without saying that TKO is a corporate machine that will run full-steam ahead in pursuit of the almighty dollar, nothing else matters, even if some of those tactics eventually have a detrimental effect on the product or the fan base. Despite being back in the fold less than two months, there's chatter online that the bloom is off the rose when it comes to Big Cass' status within the WWE, and based on some of the recent results on television, there might be some credibility to that notion.

At 40, and considering that this is the best version of him so far, if the WWE is going to promote Cass as a big deal, the time is now. That isn't to say that he's past his prime in any fashion, but rather that if they want a legitimate star that they can push for the next 5-8 years, they have to run with him now. Of course, when Cass initially returned, he did the typical monster segments where he steamrolled the smaller guys on the roster. That approach can be effective, as it's one of the reasons that Bronson Reed got over when he returned to the company a few years ago. Obviously, the talent being pushed needs to have the skills to sustain the momentum long-term, as Reed did, but the argument could be made that there hasn't been enough of a sample size to make that determination for Cass.

When a performer comes into the promotion with a bully push, if they are defeated rather quickly then the narrative is basically over. That might be example what happened to Cass. Je'von Evans beat Big Cass in their rematch two weeks ago on Raw after their original bout in August so what else is there to do? David conquered Goliath, and it only took a few weeks for it to happen. This past week on Raw, Dragon Lee, another smaller high-flyer, beat Cass, prompting questions about what direction, if any, Cass has going forward.

Right now, it looks like Cass might've been the flavor of the month so to speak, and it lasted about as long as the flavor of the nifty zebra gum from back in the day.

I could see this going one of two way for the real-life Morrissey, either these losses are going to be used as the catalyst to set up a bigger story in the big picture, or the office actually has already lost faith in him so his run is going to be labeled as plateaued so he will spend the duration of his tenure in the lower card of the line-up. At least TKO has quality catering at TV tapings.

How Cass is used, if at all, on television in the next few weeks will be critical to the perception of him by the audience either as a threat or an afterthought. The issue is that Cass might've been literally a big fish in a smaller pond in TNA and AEW. It's much easier to spotlight a big man when the majority of the roster is of a smaller stature based on the "work rate" style than it is with the big man philosophy that still dominates most of the WWE mindset. On a roster with Oba Femi, Bronson Reed, and Roman Reigns, Cass' lack of charisma or overall presence might be more noticeable.

That being said, I'd still say that Cass made the right move, because if he would've stayed in AEW any longer, he would've lost momentum or the impression that he made through his work there. Ultimately, the WWE is still the biggest sports entertainment company in the world, and for the vast majority of talent in the business, it will offer the biggest exposure, and often the biggest money possible. At the very least, Cass had to take a chance to return, especially with the global expansion under TKO.

With the recent defeats, there was some speculation if WWE would bring Enzo back to the organization to reform the tag team as somewhat of a default to what got over years ago, but that wouldn't help Cass' chances, as it would basically prove that he didn't make nearly as much progress as originally thought if he needed a retread from a decade ago to try to get over with the audience again. More importantly, Enzo has proven himself to be completely aloof at almost every aspect of sports entertainment.

It remains to be seen if Cass' comeback fizzled out this quickly or not. All things considered, if I had to guess, as I mentioned earlier, the fact that he was booked to lose two matches so close together on television, particularly to Dragon Lee, who hasn't been a priority too often, is probably an indication that the office, for whatever reason, doesn't want to invest more much stock into the Cass return. Still, if that is the case, I don't think management gave Cass nearly enough time to reestablish himself as a commodity on Raw, but as unfair as it might be, the reality is that there are younger, more well-rounded prospects like Oba Femi and Bron Breakker already on the roster.

Super Indy 25

A quarter century ago, Super Hentai, a veteran with nearly three decades of experience under his belt by 2026, was hoisted onto the shoulders of his fellow competitors after he made it through three rounds of matches to win the first-ever Super Indy tournament. He defeated Orion, CM Punk, and Christopher Daniels in the same night to claim the trophy.

The eight competitors that assembled the field that night in Monroeville, Pennsylvania didn't know it at the time, but the one-night tournament format, a dramatic test of endurance and skill, would not only become one of the most storied events in the history of Pittsburgh, but also one of the most prestigious tournaments anywhere on the independent circuit in the decades that followed.

"Being a participant in the first Super Indy elevated my career to a whole new level. Being considered to be worthy enough of being in the same category with guys like CM Punk, Christopher Daniels, and Chris Hero is something I will forever be grateful for. I’ve seen the tournament evolve into something that I would consider to be one of the most prestigious tournaments in professional wrestling. I can list so many people that have graced IWC with their presence over the course of the last two decades and all of them are household names," remarked CJ Sensation, senior official and backstage organizer for the promotion. 

It's certainly apropos that Super Hentai, the grappling stalwart that won the inaugural Super Indy, will make his return to the tournament when the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the longest-running independent leagues in the country, presents Super Indy 25 at Marx's Court Time, the home base for the organization for the past twenty years, this Saturday in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania.

The concept of the tournament was designed to crown a Super Indy champion, a title that is put up for grabs each year, with the current champion sometimes defending it throughout the night, or the anticipation of a new titleholder based on who made it through the grueling format. Super Indy became synonymous for bringing some of the best talent in the business to the area for memorable nights of action that fans still talk about years later.

AJ Styles, Chris Sabin, Petey Williams, Matt Sydal, Adam Cole, Larry Sweeney, Colt Cabana, Joaquin Wilde, and Claudio Castagnoli are just some of the numerous national names that competed alongside stellar local talent such as Glenn Spectre, Gory, and Troy Lords.

More than just the participants of the tournament, Super Indy remains such a staple on the Pittsburgh calendar because of the memorable moments that it provided. Low Ki smashing his way through the field until John McChesney refused to wilt under the pressure in the final round, scoring a flash pin on the original Ring Of Honor champion to claim a victory that sent the fans in attendance jumping from their seats in 2005. Local favorite, Jimmy DeMarco went toe-to-toe with Necro Butcher in a violent street fight in 2009. Josh Alexander put on an absolute clinic with technical specialist, Jonathan Gresham in 2016.

"I think Super Indy has always evolved with the times and with the state of independent wrestling. Under the three different owners, there have really been three different versions of the tournament. In the early years, there weren’t many platforms for fans to discover the rare independent wrestlers. So, Super Indy was one of those places where you could see someone you may not have known much about before. The middle years, to me, probably reflected the true essence of what Super Indy became by showcasing talent that you would eventually see on a national platform. Today, independent wrestling is completely different. Fans have access to wrestlers from all over the world, so there are fewer unknown names and more established talent or wrestlers who have already been discovered. Super Indy has changed along with that, but the idea of bringing together great outside talent, alongside standout local talent, and giving them a stage to show what they can do, has remained the same," explained Jason Fosnaught, who works as a backstage producer for IWC today, but broke into the sport years ago in the organization as Orion.

With such a milestone of the 25th anniversary of the tournament, the 2026 edition will be no exception to the standard set with the previous track record, as some of the brightest young talent on the independents today will serve as a compliment to the major star power that will be hosted by the IWC, creating the compelling dynamics of opportunity for the next generation to compete against those national names.

Major headlines were made when Nic Nemeth, a former WWE and current TNA world champion, was announced as a participant in this year's field. The former Dolph Ziggler had an accomplished amateur background at the nearby Kent State University, and while the glitz of the television cameras have captured his star power for several years, the Super Indy tournament can give him a chance to showcase his tremendous mat skills. Another former WWE star, Tyler Breeze was also announced for the tournament when he will meet Nemeth in first round action. Breeze, a former NXT tag team champion, was deemed vastly underrated for most of his television career so again, the platform of Super Indy allows him to spotlight his skills.

"Calling my first Super Indy is a literal dream. The Super Indy tournament is so historic in not just Pittsburgh wrestling, but independent wrestling. The names that have gone through this tournament are legendary. As someone is just over a year in this business being able to say that I called a tournament with the TNA World Champion Nic Nemeth, Breeze, Super Hentai, and so many other greats that are on TV is a true honor," said Austin Cairns, one of the top play-by-play commentators in the area today.

The previously mentioned Super Hentai drew Canadian standout Shimbashi, who was actually born the same year that Hentai won the original Super Indy tournament. Dubbed "The Canadian Dragon," Shimbashi is a dynamic athlete that has already turned heads on both sides of the boarder. The five-year pro is only beginning to enter the prime of his career, and IWC could discover a gem if the youngster makes a name for himself in the steel city in one night if he wins the Super Indy championship. On the flip side, what a story it would be if Hentai wins the tournament again 25 years after he won the initial tournament?

While Shimbashi will make his IWC debut in the tournament, on the other end of the spectrum, another Canadian that is very familiar with the organization is slated to compete in the first round as well. Greektown Wrestling's Channing Decker, a multi-time IWC tag team champion over the span of many years, will squared off with the current Super Indy champion, Zach Nystrom. A seven-year pro, Nystrom spent the first portion of his career as a successful tag team competitor, but within more recent years, he has really come into his own, leading to his title win a few months ago. Considering that Nystrom is regarded as one of the best of the current crop of Pittsburgh talent, it seems like a run throughout the tournament to keep the belt around his waist could be exactly what he needs to cemented himself as potentially the best singles wrestler in the region.

In a prime example of the variety of the Super Indy format, it will be a battle of the big men to close out the opening round when Bill Collier, known as Agent Zero in TNA and one of the longest reigning IWC heavyweight champions in the history of the organization, will step into the ring with Sam Holloway, a talented youngster from the Buckeye state that many pundits have predicted a very bright future for in the industry.

A few non-tournament matches will bring together the rest of an all-star cast for a series of tag team contests. An eight-man tag will see Elijah Dean, NWA star Spencer Slade, the dynamic Austin Blaze, and former IWC champion Jami Jameson compete against the combination of the current IWC heavyweight champion Duke Davis, former titleholder Andrew Palace, Wes Barkley, and Felix Koz. The IWC Tag Team titles will be on the line in a ladder match when longtime radio personality and the founder of the International Wrestling Cartel, Bubba The Bulldog and his partner, Bulk Nasty defend the belts against The Dead Presidents, the combination of Storm Wrestling Academy alumni, RC Dupree and his stablemate, Johnny Mahalo, a two-year pro that learned the ropes under the IWC banner at the Iron City Wrestling Academy. The Dead Presidents are a mysterious rouge group that have targeted many throughout the promotion in the past several months, will the faction play a role at Super Indy?

"We’ve got TV talent, we’ve got our first Super Indy champion, we’ve got some of the best young contracted talent in the business, the longest-reigning heavyweight champion in IWC history, and guys looking to win their first championship in IWC. There are so many different stories and so many different paths this tournament can take that I think anything really is the best way to describe what fans should expect from Super Indy 25,” commented Fosnaught.

One thing is for sure, when Super Indy celebrates it's silver anniversary, it will be a memorable night in the history books, as the tournament has been such a defining event that has shaped the direction of the Pittsburgh scene for the past 25 years.