The career of Jack Pollock

Jack Pollock was a cornerstone of the Pittsburgh professional wrestling scene for nearly 15 years. As someone that learned under the underrated legend, Lance Storm after he took out a loan from PNC Bank to travel to Calgary and quite literally learn the ropes, Jack Pollock lived up to the old school troupes that were forged in the territory's old Stampede promotion, the place where Lance broke in nearly 25 year earlier, Pollock gave blood, sweat, and tears to the squared circle.

"Going to Calgary and training with Lance was surreal. The story that stands out the most to me was when we started working matches. My first match went off the rails so badly, everything I tried to do to get it back together wasn’t working. From the seats, Lance yelled 'just roll him up and get it over with, Sam.' Coming back to class on Monday, we were doing more matches, and I just kept saying in my head, 'please don’t pick me' so of course he picked me to wrestle. I think he could tell how upset I was about the first match and wanted to make sure I got my confidence back. That was something about Lance’s way of training I really liked. He knew how to deal everyone’s personality and could pick us up when we were down. He wasn’t a drill sergeant kind of trainer. He wasn’t there to take your money and beat you up. If you showed him respect and that you cared, he gave it back and then some," Pollock explained.

In that same fashion, when Huey Lewis blared through the speakers at a Pittsburgh venue in the years that followed, Jack Pollock gave to the business more than he received. He gave promoters a return on their investment in him as a talent, he gave the fans their money's worth through his tireless efforts in matches, and he extended his hand in friendship to numerous peers in the industry, bonds that lasted far beyond when the final bell echoed in the venue at the end of the night.

Jack Pollock, for a major portion of those past 15 year referenced earlier, was the guy that many organizations counted on as their workhorse throughout different stages of his career. He's one of the very few performers to have worked across the spectrum of the steel city circuit, as his value to any group was undeniable so he found a role within virtually every major promotion in the region at some point or another. The alphabet soup of organizations that he worked for over the years all had a significant impact on his career and contributed to his overall direction in the sport. It was through those efforts that the name Jack Pollock became synonymous with consistent quality performances and the ability to create a level of drama that invoked an emotional investment from the audience.

"Obviously, that first run towards the PWX title in 2012 was really special. The minute you go from just being on the show to being the champion for a company, the expectations change drastically. To be the flag bearer, to feel the responsibility of representing your company, to be the guy that I worked so hard to prove the people right who believed in me so much. That PWX run had so many memorable feuds for me that helped legitimize me and put me on the map. Shane Taylor really cemented me as somebody worth watching early on. And honestly, if not for splitting my eyebrow at the end of that first beating I’m not sure that feud ever becomes what it became. Some of the other PWX feuds that really stick out were the ones with Brandon K, Chris Taylor, and Bryan Bowers," Pollock remarked.

"When it comes to IWC, it’s just hard to pinpoint the highlights. The formation of Team Storm and the feud with Andrew Palace that ended inside of the cage was incredible. The whole Justin Plummer vs. Pollock story, which led to the Wardlow feud was amazing. I think about that crazy run I had to get to the title in 2018: The matches with Shane at Super Indy, Plummer at Threat Level Midnight, and then Wardlow in the cage. I went on to fight Tommy Dreamer and then did a rematch with Wardlow, ending with him throwing me off the top of the cage through the ring. That era of wrestling was just so much fun," he added.

From winning the heavyweight title of the now-defunct Pro Wrestling Express, to his run as the International Wrestling Cartel heavyweight champion, Pollock's rolodex of opponents, both inside of Pittsburgh and the national names brought in from the outside, is a reflect of the trust that event organizers had in him to deliverer in the big moments. After those years of experience, Pollock lent his veteran presence to 880 Wrestling, a newer group within the past few years that built itself as a fresh project amongst the other long-established leagues. The collection of youngsters brought a level of dedication and enthusiasm that rejuvenated Pollock during the last chapter of his in-ring career.

"The last few years of my career, I was able to have a lot of fun at 880, too. Honestly, it’s probably why I stuck around longer than I had originally planned. MV brought me in to work a few matches, but I just loved the vibe so much that I kept coming back. I think the dog collar match with Chris LeRusso stands out the most to me. Blood aside, Chris and I have been friends since my first day in the Pittsburgh wrestling scene so to do that match with my friend was really special," Pollock said.

There's no doubt that a specific era of Pittsburgh, a region known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced, was defied by the efforts of Jack Pollock. However, it was the real-life Sam Ward that paid the price for it. Crashing through tables, being thrown onto thumbtacks, colliding with the steel cage, and being sent through the canvas of the ring to the floor might've been at the expense of Jack Pollock, but Sam Ward picked up the tab.

It was just a few years ago that a trip to the orthopedic doctor revealed an alarming about of damage to Ward's hip, especially given his age.

"I was still enjoying myself in ring, but my body wasn’t having fun anymore. It took longer and longer to recover from even the most basic match that I knew the time was coming. I remember tweaking my hip during a cage match for IWC in 2022 and things just got worse from there. I did everything I could to help it. I started wearing a big hip brace, weekly chiropractor visits, physical therapy, acupuncture, massages, and float tanks, I could never really get any relief so I finally saw a doctor more than a year later when they told me I had very advanced arthritis for someone my age. I started getting cortisone shots in my hip and knee every three months just to deal with the pain," Ward explained.

Last March, 15 years to the day that he took about the previously mentioned loan to travel to Canada to learn from Lance Storm, Sam repeated the same process for his final match as he did for his first match all the way back in 2011. He picked up his best friend, Marcus Mann, an accomplished manager and behind the scenes organizer for various promotions for more than a decade, and went to the venue. Instead of being a nervous youngster under a mask in West Newton the way he was for his debut, he walked into his final bout as a respected pro that was going to answer the bell one last time. Enjoy Wrestling, a wildly popular group that runs stacked cards in the city once every few months, promoted the event, and MV Young, one of the driving forces behind the previously mentioned 880 Wrestling, served as the last opponent for Jack Pollock's career.

"I tried playing it cool but I was a mess on the inside. MV and I have talked a lot about that match since it happened, there’s not a single thing I’d change about it," Ward said.

More than a year after he hung up his boots, Sam keeps himself busy with graphic design, working on a full plate of merchandise concepts for wrestlers and organizations while he enjoys spending time with his pets and watching baseball games. When he left one ring behind, he got another when he got engaged to his fiance, Eanna, who he met in 2023 through her work as a ringside valet.

A few weeks ago, at the age of just 42, Sam Ward finally underwent hip replacement surgery and has spent the time since then recovering from the procedure, with physical therapy lined up next. He will be kept out of work until he gets completely healed and cleared by his surgeon. In an effort to give back to Jack Pollock the way that he gave so much to the pro wrestling business, all of the friends he made along the way are going to come together on Sunday June 14th at the 880 Wrestling building in Pittsburgh to put on an event for donations that will support Ward until he can return to his day job.

A truly all-star cast of talent from promotions around Pittsburgh will come together to not only pay respect to their friend, but also give the fans a truly unique pro wrestling event that they won't get the chance to see anywhere else. MV Young squares off with Bill Collier, who is known for his work as Agent Zero in TNA wrestling. The Mane Event of Ganon Jones Jr. and Duke Davis will collide with Money Shot, the combination of Elijah Dean and Zach Nystrom for a contest of two of the top tag teams in region. Pittsburgh legends, Brandon K, founder of Ryse Wrestling, and Chris LeRusso, will square off in one of the most anticipated matches on the card. Pittsburgh icon, John McChesney, a 25-year veteran, is scheduled to compete against Edric Everhart, regarded as one of the best grapplers in the area today. Former IWC heavyweight champion, Andrew Palace is slated to compete against 880 standout, Marco Narcisso. A battle royal is also scheduled for the event.

Despite the titanium in his body as a permanent reminder of his sacrifices of the squared circle, Sam Ward remains thankful for the moments he experienced, the memories he created, and the friends that he made in the wrestling business.

"I really don’t have any regrets, I had my first match when I was 27 years old. I never had unrealistic expectations about what I could achieve in this business. I had fun grinding. Wrestling on a Saturday and Sunday just to wake up and go to work on Monday, I enjoyed being different," Ward concluded.

What's the status of TKO?

TKO and the WWE don't care about you. 

Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp reported on a podcast appearance that WWE President, Nick Khan made on the Sports Business Journal. Khan was quoted as saying,“We will never respond to social media criticism. If ratings are down, if revenue's down, if relevancy's down, it's up to us."

In some ways, Nick Khan is right, and the reason for it is rather simple. The WWE, especially since the merger with the UFC to form the TKO corporation a few years ago, always looks to target the widest demographic possible in an attempt to draw the biggest audience possible. It might not appeal to the pro wrestling purists that can appreciate the finer points and niche details of the squared circle, but using the lowest common denominator is what makes the WWE product easy to understand for the general public. Vince McMahon, as deviant as he allegedly was in his private life, knew that the sizzle of sports entertainment sold to the casual fan a lot easier than the substance of professional wrestling, hence why he coined the term sports entertainment to separate his product during the national expansion of the 80s from the regional territories of the prior era.

The main difference, at least in terms of the perception of the product under McMahon compared to the conglomerate of today, is that even though McMahon was set on packaging his product as anything but the typical "rasslin'" stereotype, he still paid homage to some of the old school troupes that were established by his father, Vince Sr. under the Capital Wrestling banner. As defiant as some of his booking was during his latter tenure as the boss, Vince knew he had a responsibility to the audience. He might've had to fire The Ultimate Warrior after Summer Slam in 1991, but he paid him the amount of cash he demand to get the match in the ring because that's what was advertised. Vince took bumps and bled when he didn't have to in an effort to give the fans their money's worth. Many might question his logic or lack thereof at times, but it's difficult to question his dedication to the business. He kept prices affordable because he knew that families being able to afford tickets was one of the ways that the sport was passed down through generations and thus kept the fan base strong even during declines in overall business.

On the flip side, TKO looks strictly at the bottom line, and there's an argument for that, but there's also a few key counterpoints. Arnold Skaaland and Gorilla Monsoon were kept on the payroll for years because of their original association with the WWWF. The late referee Tim White had an injury cut his in-ring career short, but after years of ensuring smooth travel for his longtime friend, Andre The Giant, the former official was kept with the company in a PR role for years afterwards. Fences were mended with Bruno because he was a mythical figure for generations of fans. The audience can appreciate the acknowledgement of those that sacrificed for the sport and that's why there's such an emotional investment involved in professional wrestling.

It's a harsh reality, even if it's the right strategy if you keep a strictly business mindset, but TKO doesn't care about that emotional investment. The suites of Endeavor don't care that Dynamite Kid put himself in a wheelchair by the age of 40, they don't care that The Undertaker worked with a broken orbital bone or broken ribs on a European tour, and they don't care that in the process of the over-the-top spectacle of professional wrestling there can be real-life inspiration that impacts everyone involved. John Cena is a real-life superhero through his efforts as a pro wrestler and understood the responsibility that goes with it. For TKO, it's stictly business, they don't care how much the wrestlers of a prior generation sacrificed to pave the way for billion dollar media rights fees of today, or how much effort the current roster puts in to satisfy those contracts for the organization to be able to tout record-setting profits.

The bottom line is, how many fans can they tickets or merchandiser to for events and how much money they can squeeze from the audience in the process.

As mentioned, Nick Khan has a point, while the WWE fan base is on social media, the "internet fans" are a much smaller group. Taking the previous comparison of the casual fan, those that are vocal online are the most dedicated demographic of fans. They don't just take the time to watch the product when it's convenient, it's appointment viewing for them. They don't just form a detailed opinion on the happenings of a storyline or an event, they take the time and the effort to post about it online. You might think that listening to or serving the most dedicated fans that invest time, effort, and money intro the product would be worthwhile, but that's not the case, nor should it be. The reason is simple, those fans are going to watch WWE programming regardless so their input on the matter is moot since it doesn't effect the previously mentioned bottom line.

It might sound unfair, but wrestling fans are going to watch wrestling, and the WWE, perhaps now more than any other time in history, dictates the direction of the business. Sure, All Elite Wrestling made some waves during its initial launch, but have settled into the industry as a rather niche product that pays well. The WWE, through its merger that formed TKO, has enough media muscle and enough cash to decide where the industry goes. A prime example of this is the ESPN deal for the pay-per-views, the fact that WWE talent is regularly featured on the mainstream ESPN networks further reinforces the notion that WWE is the representation of pro wrestling in the United States. Along with that, the purchase of AAA, the expansion of international touring, and the Netflix deal that brings more of the world more access to WWE programming than ever before are steps toward the globalization of the product.

So, no, Nick Khan and TKO don't care about you. And, no, I'm not calling for a boycott or anything of the sort of WWE, that's just silly, but it's rather to answer the question, "why doesn't the WWE listen to its audience?" The reason is, they don't have to because those fans will watch anyway, and the scope of the business model is much bigger than the most diehard demographic. Keep in mind, for every smart mark online that argues about how many stars a match did or didn't get, there are expotentially more fans that will pay insane ticket prices to set front row at a WWE pay-per-view. The most dedicated fans don't impact the revenue streams, which is why it's more much important for the publicly-traded corporation to serve its stockholders and cater to the casual fan that might see a wrestler on ESPN.

Furthermore, when you take into account that the WWE can tout record-setting profits the past several years through its various media rights deal, why should they change anything? It can be debated if the WWE utilizes its current roster to its full potential, or if the product is truly as good as it can be, but there's no doubt that there's depth to the roster, both from an in-ring and star power prospective. When WWE has the biggest stars in the industry and they are making record-setting money, there's no reason they should listen to the smart mark online that's going to watch anyway. If the TKO business model eventually erodes the fan base over the course of time is a completely different discussion, but for right now, there's no reason for the WWE to change its philosophy for the product.

Mick Foley signed for AEW

Mick Foley, the former WWF champion that rose to prominence during the peak of the Attitude era and proved many doubters, including Vince McMahon wrong along the way, saw his WWE contract expire within the past few weeks. Foley, a New York Times #1 best-selling author, announced his intentions to let his WWE deal expire earlier this year because of the company's strong affiliation with Donald Trump. The legendary grappler is a very outspoken critic of the current administration and drew a line in the sand when executives were hosted in the Oval Office alongside Trump on a few different occasions because of Linda McMahon's role in his cabinet as the Head of the Department of Education. The six million dollar donation to his initial campaign and her work on the board of a Republican super pac that raised money for his re-election certainly paid off when she was gifted the positions of the Small Business Administration during the first term and then the education department for the current term. The fact that she has no actual background in education probably won't help most of America's woeful test scores.

The WWE can claim to be an apolitical organization, but that's simply not the case anymore. Thankfully for the publicly-traded corporation, the average WWE fan is more concerned with who wins the scripted match than the potential corruption of democracy in reality so they will conveniently look the other way when WWE management endorses the Trump administration, even if they don't agree with his policies.

Granted, politics are more of a work than pro wrestling, and it's more profitable too, but that's a different discussion for a different time.

Still, Mick Foley took a stand, which took at least some level of the famous Foley fortitude since not only did he walk away from the WWE payday, but he also risked alienating some of his potential customers for outside project since any political involvement can split the audience. Maybe someone with one of those silly red hats would decide not to buy an autograph or a ticket to a live show because the hardcore legend isn't a fan of the orange blob in the White House.

All things considered, it shouldn't be too surprising that Mick left the WWE, specifically because this isn't the first time that he was at odds with the office. Famously, Mick abruptly quit the company in 2001 when he was discontent with  the creative direction of the promotion in the aftermath of the WCW purchase. He was back in the WWE fold a few years later, working a memorable feud against Randy Orton, a storyline that helped push Orton up the card at the time. By 2008, Mick was put on commentary for a short-lived stint on Smackdown before he quit after Vince's infamous screaming into their headsets prompted him to quit. Foley surfaced in TNA for a handful of years, and despite his best efforts, he just had too much damage to his body to have another major run as an in-ring competitor. Mick was back again and inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, and was used for the general manager role on Raw in the years that followed. More recently, Foley was under contract for a merchandise deal, but was mostly on the convention circuit or touring for stage shows.

The former champion not under the WWE umbrella doesn't affect the promotion all that much, mostly because at his age, his on-screen role would be very limited in terms of what he could be used for. So, the merchandise aspect is the biggest part of his departure.

Last weekend, Foley made his All Elite Wrestling debut as the pre-show host with Renee Paquette at Double or Nothing, and was reported to have signed a contract with the organization. Given that Tony Khan has had Ric Flair on the payroll for the past few years, but you never see him because he's too outlandish to put on television, it's not a surprise that Tony offered a legendary performer from the past a payday for relatively easy work. That's not a knock on Tony at all, it's nice to see someone care enough to be willing to provide a level of financial security for the previous generation, but the point is, just because Foley is under an All Elite contract, that doesn't mean that he will necessarily be apart of AEW programming on a regular basis.

After the pay-per-view, Mick spoke glowingly about his experience at the event, and of course he would, it's easy to say nice things when the experience included a new contract from a billionaire. I'm not calling Mick insincere, but rather to point out that there wasn't really anything else he was going to say about his time on the show. Following up on that, Mick called himself a "Swiss army knife" for the promotion, implying that he could be useful in different roles.

Mick Foley is one of my favorite performers all of time, and his willingness to sacrifice his body in an effort to give the fans there money's worth might've been questionable, but the nobility of the intention was undeniable. Mick Foley gave more of himself than he received from the pro wrestling business, which is why it's nice that he can secure a new contract at this point in his life. That being said, outside of the smaller role as a host, or an occasional promo like the solid segment with Darby Allin before the pay-per-view, I truly don't think there's much for Mick Foley to do in AEW. At 60, Mick required several surgeries to repair the physical damage that he did to his body during his career, which included stints away from the ring. Furthermore, Mick has talked about memory issues in the past, including when he suffered a minor concussion when he tested the waters to train for a potential retirement match. The bottom line is, there's no way that Mick Foley should work a match in AEW, or probably do anything even remotely physical, as it would be dangerous, as well as irresponsible.

The concerning part is, despite such a legendary career where he overachieved, Mick never got the proper sendoff, as a throw away hardcore match against Ric Flair on TNA television more than 15 years ago was his last singles match. Considering the grand stage that Tony Khan gave Sting after his underwhelming conclusion in WWE, it's worrisome that Foley might consider an option for a last match to put an exclamation point on his in-ring tenure. Hopefully, that doesn't happen because it shouldn't.

As far as what Mick brings to the table going forward, as I said, I'm not sure there's too much for him to do other than a brief segment before the pay-per-views. Don't get me wrong, Foley is a recognizable name to wrestling fans, but as a host on the pre-show, his contributions to the bottom line would be moot. In some ways, I'd expect him to fade into the background and collect a paycheck to show up when he's asked to be there, similar to the status of Big Show the past several years. That's not a knock on Paul Wight or Mick Foley, as nobody, specifically on an individual basis, would be able to truly move the needle for AEW.

Again, it's not surprising that Mick left the WWE, he was more or less always at odds with the company in some form or fashion since he inked a contract thirty years ago when Vince McMahon scoffed at his ability to be a star until through sheer determination, Mankind became one of the biggest stars of the biggest era in the business. It's also not surprising that Tony Khan offered an aging legend a new contract, if for no other reason than he's a genuinely good guy that wants to show respect to the previous generation. At 60, Foley's run is over, this isn't a scenario where he can work with smoke and mirrors to piece together a final run the way that Sting did  so his arrival in All Elite doesn't change much in the grand scheme of things.

Clash in Italy review

TKO's international expansion continued with the first pay-per-view in Italy as a part of the WWE's European tour. As I've written before, it can't be understated how important the success of these international shows are because it's a step toward the true globalization of the product. Of course, the advancement of streaming technology, and more importantly, the ability for an immediate replay are key reasons that these international pay-per-views can be added to the regular WWE schedule. With just five matches on the main card, it might sound like this event was a little thin in terms of delivering enough meat on the bone for both the live and streaming audience, but the line-up was stacked with star power and theoretically a lot at stake from a storyline perspective to give the impression that the broadcast was "must see" for the WWE audience.

This was another PPV where the first hour was on the standard ESPN channel, and while I understand the logic behind it, especially with the massive investment that the network has into WWE programming as one of the cornerstones of its app, there are times that the television format affects the presentation of those portions of the show. The opener of Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther was a worthwhile way to get some level of viewership through ESPN, particularly if there were plans to switch the title, which there was a case to be made for since Gunther was promoted as such a dominate heel the past few years. From a performance perspective, this was a quality segment as everything they did was crisp and smooth. However, from a more substantive point of view, this was somewhat underwhelming. This is actually meant as a compliment, I expected more from this bout since these are two of the top performers in the business today, but this was a 10-minute contest that had a paint-by-numbers approach that just didn't into second gear. This wasn't given the time to build a level of organic drama, and seemed rushed to fit the TV time slot more than anything else. Again, this wasn't a subpar match, but rather not near what it could've or probably should've been. Given that Gunther had his foot under the ropes for part of the pin fall at the finish, I'm guessing that the somewhat disputed finish will be used to justify a rematch at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia or Summer Slam.

The Women's title match was fine what was it was, but was another bout that didn't get into second gear, despite being given the time to do so. It should be noted that Rhea Ripley previously disclosed that she's dealing with an eating disorder, and she looked alarmingly thin during this match. She looked somewhat frail and it's definitely concerning. All things considered, it might be better for her to take some time off to completely focus on her health. She's one of the most over stars on the roster and even a few months away wouldn't diminish her status. Furthermore, her health is exponentially more important than pro wrestling. On the other end of the spectrum, Jade Cargill looked juiced to the gills and her shoulders looked unnaturally muscular, which is a sharp contrast to the lean muscle that she had when she arrived in the WWE. On a positive note, Cargill seems to finally be more natural in the ring and her move sequences are less clunky than they were prior. The biggest problem with this segment was that toward the conclusion, it used the same loophole with the foot on the rope as was used in the previous match when Gunther had his foot under the bottom rope. It come off as repetitive and flat when it was used for the second time in less than an hour into the broadcast. Eventually, Ripley got the pin to retain the championship, but I'm not sure if this was a productive segment for the division.

Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi was the five-minute fireworks match that you'd expect it to be. I usually shake my head when several finishers are used in a match, but this was probably the exception to the rule, taking into account the context of the storyline. This was essentially a role reversal of their Wrestlemania match, which was by design. Oba got caught off guard with the sneak attack before the bell the same way that Lesnar was caught off guard with the power bomb in their first match. Obviously, this sets up for the rubber match at Summer Slam, the location that will be Brock's actual retirement. I saw some of the feedback online scoff at Oba taking a loss, but it's a rather moot point in the grand scheme of things. If I had to guess, I'd say that their Summer Slam match will be given the most time of any of the bouts of the trilogy, and Oba will be presented as the new dominate monster of the WWE landscape. Sure, this match at Clash in Italy was one-dimensional, but it was merely used as a bridge to get to the bigger stage with a bigger payoff.

Sol Ruca defeated Becky Lynch to win the Women's Intercontinental championship, and while she was booked poorly without nay notable victories on the main roster ahead of this match, she looked like a credible star during this segment. The aerial maneuvers and fast sequences worked well to stand out after the brutes did the power match in the segment before this. It goes without saying that Sol Ruca will have to continue to evolve as a performer as far as learning the finer points of working television, as well as the promo work for the causal fans, but the office has certainly given her a good chance to be successful with win over someone as established as Becky Lynch. I could be wrong, but with how cemented Becky is as a tent pole of the women's division, she doesn't necessary need a championship for the angles she's involved in to carry a level of cache. Her star power inherently brings a level of importance to her roles on the shows. It will be interesting to see how Sol Ruca is booked going forward, as far as if she's presented strong enough to became a star of the division or if she will be regulated to the second tier if the run as champion is underwhelming.

The main event was decent, and the crowd was into the segment, but it didn't capture the drama of their match the prior month. This was basically a longer, but lesser version of the Backlash main event. The Clash in Italy contest went almost 30 minutes and became a tedious viewing experience toward the conclusion, particularly when the stuff they did outside of the ring during the middle of the match was slow and plodding. The key was, at least as far as the biggest difference maker between this contest and the one at Bashlash was that during their first match, they were able to make it look like Jacob Fatu might actually beat Roman Reigns for the championship. They simply never got to that level here, and this bout took the course of a rather typical WWE main event as far as a predictable result. Roman used a spear to get the pin fall to retain the title. Post-match, Jacob Fatu left with Roman and The Usos, while the Solo Sikoa group watched from the crowd, which might be an indication of another angle between the two factions.

If management wants to keep the belt on Roman, it's understandable since the two years away from the title picture can at least make the case, albeit not necessarily a strong one, that there was enough time to put him back in the main event scene without it being a total retread. However, this angle with Fatu is basically the same concept that was booked for Jey Uso during Roman's initial heel run. In short, as well done as the Samoan rivalry storylines did over the past few years, Reigns and more or less everyone else involved needs some new ground to cover to avoid redundant narratives. Furthermore, I don't think it was a wise decision to book Fatu in a scenario where he looks like he can't win the world heavyweight championship since it could affect the perception of his potential as a main event star in the future.

New Japan sold

There was a major shift in the professional wrestling industry earlier this week, as Bushiroad, the organization that was responsible for a popular trading card series before it bought New Japan Pro Wrestling from the video game company, THQ in 2012, sold its stake in the organization to Cyber Agent, the parent company of Cyber Fight, which owns Pro Wrestling NOAH, as well as DDT. The Wrestling Observer reports that Asahi TV, a longtime partner of New Japan and the owner of its historical video library, saw an increase in its minority share in the company to somewhere around a 46% interest in the promotion going forward. Considering that the structure of the New Japan streaming service is already in place, and Cyber Fight already has a stream service for it's other pro wrestling properties, not much is expected to change as far as schedule or distribution of the product. As of right now, it looks as though Bushiroad will retain ownership of Stardom, and Cyber Fight owns Tokyo Joshi Pro, but it doesn't seem like there will be any conflict, given the scope of those specific ventures. However, with Bushiroad selling New Japan, you have to wonder if there's another buyer, potentially Tony Khan, for Stardom?

In truth, it's usually not a good thing when there's a consolidation of commodities under one banner since it would imply a monopoly, but taking into account the current circumstances of the industry on a global basis, the ability for the Japanese scene to combine its resources is probably the best case scenario for everyone involved.

While the change in ownership is a big story, the change in leadership of New Japan isn't something completely new, and it was much more shocking when the legendary founder, Antonio Inoki sold his interest in the promotion to the previously mentioned THQ group in 2005 after his MMA experiment of a few years earlier had the Japanese league on the brink of collapse. Eventually, THQ also shutdown, but not before they sold the organization to Bushiroad. It was under their direction that the NJPW brand had its biggest resurgence of the past 25 years. Obviously, it was a matter of timing as well with the right talent booked in the right position at the right time, but it can't be understated how important it was that Bushiroad was able to finance, as well as expand not only the product, but increase revenue streams with merchandise. The term, "generational talent" gets thrown around too often in professional wrestling, but Kazuchika Okada reaching his prime at a time when the organization had the funds to bring in more foreign talent to establish The Bullet Club was a key reason for its success. With more foreign talent and how wildly popular the NWO-type of takeover was, it put a renewed spotlight on the Japanese brand for fans outside of Japan. At the same time, native talent like Okada, Naito, and many others allowed that expanded audience to watch arguably the best in-ring product in the world at the time. With the Bushiroad money behind it, New Japan Pro Wrestling became a legitimate and viable career option for talent on an international basis to a level that it hadn't been for years previously. The downturn in business of the Japanese scene in the early-2000s, one of the many reasons that prompted the initial sale from Inoki, took a lot of the shine away from the Japanese circuit that it had during a previous era. The Bushiroad expansion of the product is ultimately what introduced a completely new generation of international fans to New Japan Pro Wrestling. For the first time in history, a full streaming site allowed fans outside of Japan to watch live cards. Furthermore, along with the training dojo in Los Angeles, fans in the United States could order authentic New Japan merchandise without the astronomical shipping fees of years earlier.

In short, the direction under Bushiroad streamlined access to the product and ultimately made it much easier for foreign fans to follow the events, thus creating more revenue in the process.

That being said, with as much success as New Japan had over the course of a six or seven year period, there's a reason that Bushiroad was willing to sell the organization. While I didn't expect Bushiroad to sell the promotion, I'm not completely shocked by it either. When you look at the success that the group had with veteran wrestler, Gado as the booker and the number of talents that were spotlighted in the process, it simply wasn't going to be sustainable. There are peaks and valleys to everything, with the goal being that the valleys can still generate good business. As we've seen, the launch of All Elite Wrestling, which took the core Elite group, and the subsequent signing of almost every top star in the company, was a major dent to the depth of the New Japan roster. It might sound too simplistic, but were too many guys signed away in a relatively short period of time that there wasn't any realistic chance that NJPW could replenish the line-up fast enough for it not to take a toll on business. Along with that, and this was almost as big of an issue in terms of the company's ability to generate revenue, the shutdown and then limited capacity of the pandemic was something that New Japan arguably didn't truly recover from before the Cyber Fight purchase. Keep in mind, New Japan's primary revenue streams were still the traditional live event tickets and merchandise sold in the building. There's no doubt that their strong partnership with Asahi TV is an important part of their business model, but their television program is used to sell their live events, not targeted toward securing broadcast rights fees like we've seen in the modern era in America.

So, with no live events or limited capacity at venues because of the pandemic, New Japan lost a significant amount of money since they still had to pay wrestler contracts during that time. As we know,  Tetsuya Naito, one of the most popular performers on the roster, left the company last year when he couldn't agree on a new contract. His stablemates, Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi also left the organization. It was well-known that New Japan couldn't realistically compete with Tony Khan's money or the vast resources of the WWE so when someone was offered a deal, with a rare exception, they were going to sign the contract. But, when the Los Ingobernables De Japon exited, the impression was that New Japan just didn't have the money to meet their demands.

As mentioned, the bottom line is, if Bushiroad thought there was another resurgence on the horizon, they wouldn't have sold the company. That notion lets you know that there were some serious hurdles that led to the downturn in business, and there doesn't look to be an easy solution in the near future. How Cyber Fight tackles remains to be seen. The group has the capital to make investments to strengthen the product, and both NOAH and DDT have done reasonable well for their level, but it should be noted that New Japan is a bigger scope than anything Cyber Fight has promoted in the wrestling business before. That's not to say that the new ownership won't be successful, but rather to point out that it's not an automatically successful scenario either.

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that New Japan was sold for an estimated $22.6 million for the 70% ownership that Bushiroad had as a part of its controlling interest in the promotion. That amount of cash isn't bread crumbles, but it really puts into perspective that AEW and WWE have an exponentially bigger reach on an international basis. Of course, New Japan is tailored to its native audience, as it should be, but highlights the notion that the influence of the Japanese league is far bigger than its economic impact on the sport. Don't get me wrong, when a performer is offered exponentially more money to sign with either AEW or WWE, it makes sense to take the deal since the entire point of the business is to make the most money possible. New Japan markets toward a smaller domestic market and thus their pay scale is lower. That's not a knock on the organization, just to point out that capitalism will often dictate where talent goes in the modern era.

There have been different partnerships or working agreements in the past that allowed talent to work for different organizations at one time, but hopefully, everything under one banner can help make the process seamless. For example, New Japan needs depth and star power added to the roster.Naito worked for Pro Wrestling NOAH more recently so hopefully, Cyber Fight will have the ability to bring him back to New Japan. Hopefully, not much changes in the short term, as far as the transition of ownership won't affect the stability of the organization, but at the same time, the best case scenario would be that the new leadership will have a bigger picture that they want to implement as far as goals for New Japan in the grand scheme of things.

Considering how much cash Tony Khan has thrown into the pro wrestling business the past few years, you have to wonder if Bushiroad tried to make a deal with him to buy the company? If I had to guess, I'd say that Asahi probably wouldn't have been willing to sell their portion of the organization since it's a longtime staple of the network. All things considered, if this purchase will further solidify New Japan, particularly through this rocky period, it was probably the best decision for the industry, because as I said, while the economic impact is smaller, the Japanese league had a major influence on the modern era of the entire business.

Logan Paul injured

The Vision, the stable that started with Paul Heyman as its verbal guidance, and Seth Rollins as its in-ring leader, is snake bitten.

As we know, Seth Rollins was set for the biggest push of his accomplished WWE career after he cashed in the Money in The Bank contract at Summer Slam last year to beat CM Punk for the World Heavyweight championship. Seth was a work horse from the time that he was brought to the main roster as a a part of The Shield in 2012, but for a portion of his WWE tenure, he played second fiddle to either Roman Reigns or Jon Moxley. His character had to overcome some absolutely drek in terms of the way he was booked as a baby face champion years ago against The Fiend, or the original goofiness of the visionary persona. Seth was finally being booked in the lead role, with a faction around him to showcase his status as a top guy. Less than two months after all of the pieces of the puzzle were put together for him to have the biggest run of his career, he suffered a shoulder injury in a match against Cody Rhodes that required surgery, putting him on the shelf for nearly six months before he was able to return in time for Wrestlemania this year.

However, the entire direction of the stable had to change, as The Vision attacked Rollins to be able to write him off of television. A few months later, during a brawl segment on Raw, Bron Breakker suffered a hernia that required surgery, which also put him on the injured list. A few weeks after Breakker was out of action, Bronson Reed suffered a shoulder injury that needed surgery to repair it. Austin Theory was added to the group, a move that has been mildly successful at best, to keep the stable afloat until Breakker made his return at Wrestlemania to interfere in Rollins' match against Gunther. Earlier this week, Bronson Reed posted a picture of social media as he trains to get ready for his comeback.

Just when it looked as though the stable that started as if it was going to be a major force on the Raw brand was actually going to be able to be used in that role, at least for the rest of the year, Logan Paul suffered a triceps tear during a match against The Street Profits at last weekend's Saturday Night's Main Event, sending him into surgery to fix it.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the original premise of the faction, and even the objective of the shifts that were made after various injuries, but at this point, this might be a sign for the wrestling Gods to disband the group.

Austin Theory, ironically the member of the stable that was added to it in an attempt to save his career rather than progress it based on potential, should be extra careful with everything that he does since he's literally the only stablemates that hasn't ended up hurt yet. The reason that I think it's time to pull the plug on the group isn't that it's intended mission isn't viable, but rather to put a fresh coat of paint on it as somewhat of a new chapter for those involved. Furthermore, as those within the group have progressed, specifically through their returns from injury, the argument could be made that the pieces of the puzzle might not fit together quite as well as they did initially, or at least with the goals of those performers now.

For example, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed made a solid tag team, but obviously, the plan is to put Breakker in a main event singles role at some point in the future, which becomes even more important as more of the current top guys retire going forward. Given that Randy Orton was rumored to be penciled in to win the WWE championship at Wrestlemania, but lingering back issues caused that plan to be scrapped, I'd say that he will hang up his boots sooner rather than later. We thought that Brock Lesnar was retired, but apparently, it looks like despite the lack of logic since he was said to be "retired" on Raw,  he will stretch out his career long enough for it to be used as a major selling point for Summer Slam this year in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was originally expected to have his final match.

The point is, Bron Breakker is theoretically going to be one of the guys that replenishes the main event scene over the next few years. Breakker and Reed would still be good stablemates to occasionally work tag team matches, but it remains to be seen how their roles would be adjusted as a group if the bigger plan will be for Breakker to move up the ranks.

Paul Heyman is still the best talker in the business and should undoubtedly be used to push top prospects and top angles. If he does that for an entire stable going forward and if that would be the best presentation of those performers remains to be seen. Heyman promoting Breakker with Reed in a supporting role as the monster sidekick might be the best compromise to make now, taking into account that Logan Paul will be out of action for several months. All things considered, while I understand why Paul was paired with The Vision, he doesn't necessarily need the association to find what works for him in the WWE. Between the Prime sponsorship and the fact that he checks a lot of the boxes for TKO in terms of social media, management will find something for Logan Paul to do on WWE programming.

While Paul has done well for someone of his experience level, it's important to put the situation into context. Yes, he has a social media following that the WWE can use to bring clips to those outside of the WWE audience, but as we've discussed before, it's not as though his online following has translated into a major increase in viewership for the product. The bottom line is, the vast majority of Logan Paul's audience isn't going to follow his ventures into pro wrestling if they aren't fans of the product already. Don't get me wrong, from a corporate perspective, it makes sense to have Logan Paul on the roster, but it's not as though he should have priority over performers like Breakker or Reed.

Of course, new members could always be added to The Vision stable if the office is set on continuing the group in some fashion of its current form, but that might dilute the original concept. It goes without saying that injuries are a part of the sport and can often be unavoidable, but when nearly every member of a group is sent into surgery in less than a calendar year, it's probably time to throw in the towel on the project. The problem is, with the number of retirements mentioned prior and the current status of the WWE landscape, the Raw brand needs  the tent pole that Heyman, Breakker, etc. provide as far as an anchor for storylines. A lot can be done with angles based on Heyman's ability to sell them, and the remaining members of the stable to work those feuds in the ring. As of right now, Austin Theory and Bron Breakker will continue to defend the tag team titles that Theory held with Paul previously, but I'd guess that there's something bigger on the horizon for the stable, specifically if they have some type of role in the Brock Lesnar/Oba Femi match at the pay-per-view. 

Double or Nothing review

All Elite Wrestling presented Double or Nothing on pay-per-view this past weekend, an event that is seen as a milestone on the AEW calendar, as it marks the anniversary of the first official event that took place seven years ago. The highs and the lows of the past seven years are a different discussion for a different time, but in some ways, the 2026 edition was still a reflection of the consistent positives, as well as the negatives of the product. However, as I wrote in an article last week about the build up to the show, the effectiveness of the main event angle avoided some of the usual All Elite pitfalls, which was probably why it was one of the better storylines in the company in recent memory. Furthermore, and this is an example of the return on that television investment when the narrative is presented in a logical manner, the event in Louis Armstrong Stadium sold out with more than 15,000 fans in attendance.

That being said, if there was a common thread throughout the history of the promotion, at least for the vast majority of its existence, it's the notion of too much, too far, and too often.

The opening match was a reflection of that. The I Quit bout for the tag team titles was booked as the payoff of the FTR vs. Adam Copeland and Christian tag feud. As as far the culmination of such a rivalry, this type of gimmick segment makes sense, and very similar to a significant portion of All Elite programming, in a vacuum, this was a very good contest. As far as logic, this was put together as well as one of these types of matches are going to be structured, which was a nod to the quality performers in this match. FTR are still probably the best tag team anywhere in the business, and despite their age, Copeland and Christian maximize everything they do in the ring, especially Christian. For a payoff, this match had barbed wire, tables, ladders, the spiked two by four, and the flaming table spot toward the conclusion that saw Cash Wheeler and Stokely crash through it. Again, as far as ring psychology, this made sense and built toward a crescendo at the finish. Granted, the set up to the table spot was a little goofy because it doesn't exactly make sense that Stokely would have to stand on the apron next to Beth Copeland, but it's one of those things that you can overlook for the prosperity of pro wrestling. After a pair of submissions and an assist from the spiked two by four, Dax Harwood said I Quit for the Copeland/Christian team to win the titles.

I want to make it clear, this was a great payoff. The problem was, it was the first match on a four-hour broadcast. As much as ECW pushed the envelope, even the eccentric Paul Heyman put the flaming table spot in the middle of the show to allow for somewhat of a natural reset or "intermission" before the mayhem continued. In the opening tag match, we saw barbed wire, fire, tables, ladder, chairs, and the ring was partially disassembled. What in the wide world of sports is there really left to do? The audience saw everything and the most high risk stuff in the first twenty minutes of the pay-per-view so everything else that had to follow it will be less effective in comparison. There was a table used in the main event more than three and a half hours later, but it wasn't on fire so is the crowd going to react the same way they would've otherwise? At some point, it all becomes excessive and tedious, particularity when it unintentionally dilutes some of the legitimate risks the other performers take on the rest of the card. As I said, in a vacuum, this was a tremendous tag team I Quit match, but in the big picture, it probably took away from the rest of the card.

The Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada match was absolutely tremendous. This was a modern match done right, they gave the fans the fast-paced, hard-hitting style that you'd expect from two New Japan alumni, but structured it in a fashion that allowed the audience to digest what they were watching, with deliberate moments of selling after bursts of action. There were some incredible sequences in this match, and the series of counters as the advantage tilted back and fourth created a level of drama. As much as Okada is hit or miss in terms of if he's going to mail in a performance in All Elite, this might've been the best match of his AEW career. I've written several times before that Takeshita could be and should be a main event guy for the promotion at some point, and this segment was prove of that. Everything they did was crisp and smooth without degenerating into anything too outlandish or illogical. They gave the audience that big time Japanese main event segment without jumping the shark with some of the modern pitfalls. The finish saw Takeshita hit the falcon arrow to get the pin to win the International title. Post-match, Kyle Fletcher returned from injury, and the Don Callis stable attacked Takeshita, setting up for a full-fledged baby face run that will hopefully move him up the card in the grand scheme of things.

After two great match and more than three and a half hours left in the show, this is where a lack of booking approach can hindered the overall presentation. The opening match had almost every hardcore gimmick possible, and the match after that did the high spot formula so again, what else is left for the rest of the card? We were a little less than an hour into the show and stylistically, the audience saw more or less everything. The twenty minutes of weapons followed by twenty minutes of high impact moves and numerous kick outs don't leave much of a playbook left for the rest of the roster. Because of that, the next few matches were fine, but couldn't really compare to everything that was already on the show. The ten-minute Athena/Mina Shirakawa Owen Hart tournament match wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything that was going to get a major reaction to the audience after the previous 40 minutes of the broadcast. Athena got the victory. In a similar fashion, Jon Moxley/Kyle O'Reilly was a solid bout that emphasized the physicality of the exchanges, but it was basically a lesser version of the Takeshita/Okada bout that viewers already saw so it got somewhat tedious by the time that Moxley got the submission win near the twenty-minute mark.

The Samoa Joe/Will Ospreay Owen Hart tournament match was a good segment, mostly because of how spectacular the British grappler is, and the 12-minute time frame provided a nice change of pace from the copy/paste format of 20 minutes that these types of match are usually given at AEW pay-per-views. It also can't be understated how much of a true pro Samoa Joe is because his matches are consistent quality performances, but he's smart enough to avoid the modern pitfalls mentioned earlier. Ospreay got the pin fall to advance in the tournament, and it should go without saying that he should win the AEW world championship at Wembley Stadium in a few months.

Swerve Strickland and Bandido did some really impressive stuff in their Owen Hart Tournament match. The reverse hurricanrana to the floor was insane. The problem is, specifically because this contest wasn't based on a major angle, this match was forgettable by the end of the night. That's not to say that the athleticism wasn't unbelievable, but rather taking into context everything else the audience had already seen. Strickland got the win to advance in the tournament. The four-way match for the AEW Women's championship fell into the same category, it was fine, but forgettable after so many car crash segments. Thekla retained the title.

Speaking of car crashes, that's more or less what the Stadium Stampede match is designed to be. By nature, this type of gimmick match usually goes too long and becomes somewhat tedious. That being said, all things considered, this was probably the best that this type of match was going to be and provided a fun segment. Chris Jericho got the pin and his post-match Sabu tribute was a nice gesture.

The main event was in a tough spot, but used a lot of ring psychology, specifically based on the storyline to keep the audience invested in the match. There was something at stake and they used that to maximize everything they did. Darby Allin took a scary bump on his neck when he tried to dive out of the ring and clipped his feet on the ropes. He narrowly avoided landing on his head on the floor. The coffin drop from the set through a table was a way to put a climatic exclamation point at the end of the show, which was risky, but fine. Darby suffered a nasty cut on the back of his head from the spot. Eventually, MJF hit a tombstone from the second rope to set up for the pin fall to win the championship. This match and this storyline were very well done. Darby Allin is a bigger star than he was before he was the champion so it was an effective angle, and MJF winning the title sets up for Ospreay to win the belt at Wembley so it was mission accomplished. The post-match Kevin Knight heel turn wasn't needed and was something that could've been saved for television. Overall, there wasn't a bad match on the card, but the structure of the line-up actually hindered the presentation of the pay-per-view.