What's the status of house shows?

There's a tier of WWE talent today that work less of a schedule than ever before while getting paid some of the biggest amount of cash in the history of the business. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar are more or less part-timers that are among the highest paid of the current roster. There are even examples of when full-time top stars like Cody Rhodes or CM Punk simply aren't booked for the modern abbreviated pay-per-view cards that somehow still run over three hours.

This is quite literally the complete opposite of the golden era of the business, a period where the marathon television tapings were used to promote the house shows and then the grueling road schedule was where the bulk of their money was made. It was a slow process, but the more that professional wrestling went mainstream, the more that it got away from those old business practices, mostly because of how it eventually diversified revenue streams as technological advancements made for wider distribution. There was a time when there was a hour of a local show and then the only way to see the product outside of that was to attend the house shows.

The live gate at the box office was the bread and butter of the WWF territory.

When cable TV gave more access to more content to more parts of the country, the Rock N' Wrestling era that paired MTV with sports entertainment gave the product a vehicle for the expansion. Of course, Jim Crockett Promotions had their own platform with TBS, albeit on a smaller scale in terms of the pro wrestling operations. Back to the point of wider revenue streams, one of the reasons that Vince McMahon took the lead in the late-80s is because he knew the importance of merchandising the brand. The WWF had action figures, t-shirts, cartoons, lunch boxes, and almost anything else that the logo could be stamped on at the time. The Crockett group had a fraction of that as far as available merchandise, and the majority of it was only sold at the live events. As far as how technology changed the scope of content distribution, the point is that with the concept of closed circuit, an early version of pay-per-view where fans to go to a local arena to watch a live broadcast on the big screen, it was a way to monetize that collective national audience a few times a year for signature events. As the years went on, the ability to order pay-per-view into your home paved the way for more pay-per-views since customers didn't have to leave the house to watch the PPVs. Ultimately, the ability to watch at home and then order a pay-per-view with your remote rather than waiting on hold with the cable company to order over the phone, cleared the path for the monthly pay-per-view that became the standard by the late-90s.

As we know, there was more of a premium placed on the television programs as well, particularly during the Monday night war because as WWF and WCW traded ratings victories on any given week, each company put the best product they could onto the show in an effort to secure more of the audience. The competition produced some of the most memorable television in the history of the business, even if the hotshot approach burned the candle at both ends in terms of what was left for the industry in the years that followed.

The point is, by the late-90s there was a premium placed on the television product. Sure, the house shows were still a revenue stream because of how popular the genre was, but the focus had clearly shifted toward the platform with the most possible viewers, which was weekly television at the time. The ability to convert those weekly viewers into pay-per-view orders was where the major money was for each company during that specific era.

After the smoke had cleared from the Attitude era, it was eventually the new technology that again pushed the sport even further into the content business. When streaming technology, which could allow the WWE to distribute their own pay-per-views so that they didn't have to split the cash with cable companies, improved to the point that it was stable enough for mass consumption, the WWE Network was launched with a bulk-pricing model, similar to what Netflix did with movies some television series. Granted, it unintentionally lowered the perceived value over the years of those shows, but the point is, the WWE's biggest moneymaker became its ability to produce regular content with a steady audience.

While it was the evolution of the media business, not the popularity of the WWE brand, that secured the corporation such massive media rights fees during more recent years, the biggest takeaway was that the ability to produce countless hours of content was the way to make the most money possible in the modern era. Peacock paid $1 billion for the rights to the WWE Network for five years, Fox paid over $1 billion for the Smackdown deal, and USA paid around the same amount to retain Raw in 2019. Networks were willing to pay top dollar for live programming that was considered DVR proof in an effort to maintain ad rates for commercials on the channels, and at the same time, streaming platforms threw a lot of money around for content to be able to secure their piece of the pie of the emerging streaming market. Within the past five years or so, we've seen how the oversaturation of the streaming market has seen the consolidation of some entities, which is still happening today in terms of how many streaming properties the market will support, but the point is, the WWE has a consistent audience so the organization was able to cash-in on the climate of the media business.

As we know, the paradigm has flipped in many ways, as the flagship show that was on free television for more than 30 years, went behind the paywall of the previously mentioned Netflix for the staggering 10-year deal worth $5 billion. The pay-per-views that were $4.99 a month or even free on Peacock were back to a more traditional price of $30 for an ESPN+ subscription. However, the fact that content is king was cemented when the media rights contracts brought the company record-setting profits.

In some ways, it only makes sense that if your going to pay to rent the building, fly in the roster, and pay the production crew that the shows to broadcast to the biggest audience possible to generate the most money possible. Keep in mind, the Netflix contract mentioned prior truly globalized the product, allowing the publicly-traded corporation to monetize the international market more than ever before.

The "opportunity costs' of that so to speak is two fold. House shows basically became an antiquated concept because, with the exception of Madison Square Garden or a short holiday tour, the live gate as the primary revenue stream for an event simply wasn't worth it when there was exponentially more money to be made from broadcasted events. Smackdown is on USA, and Saturday Night's Main Event is usually on NBC so even without the paywall premium, the ad revenue from commercials make the televised shows more profitable. As I said, the evolution of the media landscape is one of the main reasons so much cash in on the table for content so the WWE made the wise decision to capitalize on it.

Aside from the staple of a previous generation being partially phased out when house shows became more rare, the other part of those "opportunity costs" was the intrinsic value that those live events have for developing talent. It can't be understated how important it is for the performers to be able to work in front of a paying audience since it's something that just can't be duplicated at the Performance Center. I could be wrong, but I'd go as far as to say that one of the reasons that the younger crop of talent today usually doesn't seem on the same level of some of the top talent and thus be in the position to elevate themselves to the position as the next money-drawing star, is the lack of valuable experience at non-televised shows. 

It's more than just getting the quality reps to hone the craft, but also the ability to make mistakes on the smaller stage and learn from them to be able to present a more polished act on the global stage. Granted, smart phones are everywhere and will eventually cause the downfall of society, but that's a different discussion for a different time. It's less about the botch being caught on camera, and more about the ability for the younger talent with true potential to be able to work those main event type matches in front of an audience before they are on the global stage of a pay-per-view.

The problem is, if you want to draw a crowd for those young performers to work in front of, you must have the established stars on the card. We all know that pro wrestling is a risky sport and each time a star is in the ring, the potential for injury is there. I'm not sure exactly what the answer is or will be for the WWE, but there's a valid argument to be made that it's too risky for a performer to get hurt in front of a few thousand fans at a house show that could derail the plans for a pay-per-view with millions of dollars on the line. 

A prime example of this was just a few days ago when Liv Morgan was almost injured ahead of her Queen of The Ring match against Iyo Sky this weekend at the Night of Champions PPV. Sol Ruca accidentally landed on Morgan's leg and the spot looked brutal. Thankfully, Liv Morgan looked to be fine on Raw this week before the crew travels to Saudi Arabia for the pay-per-view. As we know, the Saudi events are among the most profitable on the WWE calendar. There was also the clip online that looked like Jacob Fatu was almost hurt before his main event match against Roman Reigns at Clash in Italy last month.

My two cents on the matter would be somewhat of a measured approach for the risk/reward ratio. As I said, it's understandable that house shows are secondary today because the money is based on the production of content. At the same time, I don't think it's possible for the next generation to truly become legitimate money-drawing stars without more experience than just the weekly television tapings. Maybe putting one or two top matches on the line-up with either Cody Rhodes or CM Punk as the headliner during the international tours for a few house shows can give the younger talent on the roster more experience with a limited amount of risk involved for anyone on the card.

The career of Zakeia Mercer

The spectacle of professional wrestling blurs the line between reality and the over-the-top drama of combat. The squared circle saw madmen unleashed, dead men come to life, athletes soar through the air without wings, girl power on full display, heroes triumph, villains enrage the audience, and the entire spectrum of emotion invoked during the course of a night's card.

For those that participate in the pageantry and mayhem, both nationally and on the independent circuit, the genre that originated on the carnival circuit brings together drastically different individuals through their shared bond of the ring. Giants, minis, cavemen, technicians, the flamboyant, and the brooding all come together in an effort to give the paying audience their money's worth.

Considering that common goal and the friendships formed through it, maybe all those different individuals aren't that different after all.

Just like those that put their hard-earned money down for admission into the variety show that often is professional wrestling, the sport can also inspire those involved in the industry. In some cases, it allows grapplers to find themselves through the journey in the unique industry of sports entertainment.

In 2018, a youngster that was barely out of high school found themselves inside another school building, but this venue saw the final bell on education sound years earlier. Instead of hitting the books, the fresh-faced student found themselves hitting the canvas, as they quite literally learned the ropes to become a pro wrestler in a building that was a former elementary school that was transformed into a wrestling venue. Sure, the structure probably should've been condemned, as the roof leaked, the walls were caked with dust, and the restrooms were in unspeakable condition, but the introduction to the canvas was all they needed to throw themselves into this new adventure of sports entertainment. A background in amateur wrestling and martial arts provided a foundation of athletics that could be applied within this new pursuit of sports, but it eventually opened the door to a much bigger platform of self discover.

"The evolution is literally my confidence. It's how I dress, the music I select, the moves I do, and all the things of just being comfortable . It's been It's been fun, but at the same time it's the confidence boosting for me. You know when I started, I was in high school school so like not much life experience compared to like a 25-year-old. The the major evolution from the confidence I have is when I walk out and I'm able to carry that confidence to my matches and throughout the way I do promos. Gaining confidence also required getting over the stumble of having a lisp and learn how to project my voice," Mercer said.

Professionally, Mercer, as a fresh-faced newbie to the business, excelled throughout those early years as a scrappy underdog that the crowd could rally behind. It worked well within the traditional narrative of sports entertainment, as Mercer fought from underneath with stacked odds to overcome against bigger opponents in the ring. The in-ring persona of "No Mercy" established a solid reputation as an athlete that could go inside the ring ropes, becoming a staple around the western Pennsylvania scene, as well into West Virginia for a myriad of promotions there. The amateur wrestling background transitioned very well into the pro ranks, and Mercer was a natural when it come to the maneuvers, timing, and footwork associated with the fundamentals that build a capable pro wrestler. As Mercer's confidence grew as a performer inside the ring, it reflected onto the real-life person outside of the industry.

"The background of anxiety and mental illness I have. You know, with the  complex stress disorder. I'm also a victim of childhood neglect and abuse. All that happening when I was growing up, and I was a very shy kid. I wasn't loud or boisterous. As I got better at this, as I found my comfort in wrestling, I will say that comfort in wrestling translated to comfort and confidence within my own life," Mercer explained.

Just as Mercer began to cut their teeth in the grappling arts, the COVID-19 pandemic that shuttered the entire world had a major impact on every level of the professional wrestling genre, both nationally and locally. Events were canceled, venues were lost, and an eerie amount of uncertainty hung over the entire sport. With such unprecedented times throughout 2020, nobody knew what was next or what would be left of the independent circuit, as there weren't national networks or sponsorships to provide a safety net the way they had for corporate wrestling.

As the world stood still outside, Mercer used the quiet moments of the pandemic to reflect on their next steps, not just in the ring, but also in life.

"At the end of 2020, I came out to friends, family, and residents of the wrestling community as non-binary. I didn't feel connected to the idea being a man. I don't think like a man, I don't operate as a man. People in my life had pointed out as well," Mercer explained.

Since the world emerged from the pandemic, Mercer continued their in-ring adventures by becoming a stable of 880 Wrestling, a league built on inclusivity and acceptance, with different locations around the Pittsburgh area. Currently located at The Warehouse in the Allentown neighborhood, 880 is well known within the city and outside of if for its safe space for LGBTQ+ talent. This welcoming atmosphere allowed Mercer to make their transition over the course of the past year or so, while still honing the craft as pro wrestling.

"I didn't start my transition until February 2025. That was my first month of taking Hormone Replacement Therapy. The transition itself, for me personally, has been great. I'm feeling more myself every day and every month. You know, I don't think I'm this hyper feminine woman, but I am just a woman with my decision to do i for me to be comfortable. I want to be myself, fully without remorse and I didn't want to start transitioning into a woman 25 years after I came out non-binary," commented Mercer.

Within just the past few months, Zakeia Mercer was introduced to the Pittsburgh wrestling world as a transgender woman that can still go in the ring as solid as she did previously. As mentioned, the accepting environment of 880 Wrestling, which hosts live cards every Thursday on the indywrestling.us platform, provided a fitting backdrop for her new chapter, not just in the ring, but also in life. 

"I transitioned in front of everybody for a whole year. I went from taking hormones and wrestling without shirt to slowly growing a chest in front of people to cover my chest. I upgraded my gear and changed my gear because my body changed. I had to do those things because I wanted to transition so publicly, and yeah, it does help," she explained.

 Zakeia Mercer provides an example of how someone that lives within their most comfortable identity can excel within their personal and professional goals. Zakeia has received an immense amount of support from her peers within the sports entertainment scene, highlighting how important support groups are for traditionally marginalized communities. Still, that support doesn't distract from the performance once the red light comes on for showtime and she walks through the curtain at The Warehouse in Allentown. Dubbed the "queer-coded villain" the encouragement within her real life fades away in exchange for the jeers of the audience as the vicious heel in the squared circle looks to antagonize the crowd. Hard-hitting and technical action always highlights a Mercer match-up.

Still, despite the professional platform that she has, the transition to a woman is a much more personal journey for Zakeia

"I don't have a goal per se of my transition. I am not doing this for cosmetic reasons. Yes, I'm going to work at presenting more feminine, wear more makeup, wear wigs, and all that stuff. I'm going to figure it out. There's no goal, it's just finding myself and becoming comfortable," she concluded.

What's next for TNA?

There seems to be the wave of change coming toward Total Nonstop Action, but what's the next step for the Anthem-owned organization?

Last week, I penned an article about the exit of former TNA world champion, Steve Maclin, and at the time, it seemed more about Maclin in particular hitting a perceived ceiling in the promotion, but given the slew of departures this week, could there be a bigger story about to unfold?

I have to be honest, I was very surprised when I saw that news that ECW legend, Tommy Dreamer, who worked on the creative team since early-2019, announced on the Busted Open radio show that he had mutually agreed to part ways with TNA. Fightful Select reported that Dreamer was released from the writing team rather than a mutually departure, but the result is the same so the phrasing of how they got there is moot. Sami Callihan, who worked as a producer for the company since he retired from in-ring competition last year, posted on Twitter that he was also released from the organization. I'm not sure where Callihan lands, outside of continuing to run his own independent group, Wrestling Revolver. I'd expect Dreamer to offered a job with AEW sooner rather than later, if for no other reason than Tony Khan was a really big ECW fan, which isn't to say that Dreamer doesn't bring something to the table in a backstage role.

There are conflicting reports about the reasoning for the departures, as well as what's next for the creative direction of the Impact show that airs on AMC every Thursday.

Among the speculation, there are reports that former Ring Of Honor wrestler and booker, Delirious, who has worked on the TNA writing team in recent years, could be bumped up to the spot previously held by Dreamer. It that's the case, there might be very little to the story, as it would be a shuffle of the deck rather than a completely new game of cards being dealt. However, there is a noticeable amount of chatter online since the Dreamer news that former WWE head writer, Road Dogg could be the one in line to become the head of creative for TNA. If the real-life BG James would flourish in the TNA environment would be pure speculation since he has only written for a WWE product, but the bigger question might be, is it actually a realistic possibility or just internet gossip?

Unless there is something drastic ahead for the direction of TNA, and there might be, I don't see Road Dogg taking a job that would involve a working agreement with WWE, considering that he just quit a similar role working directly for the WWE. I could be wrong, but my best guess is, at least based on where things are right now, I can't see BG James jumping back into another stressful role in any company just a few months after he quit the WWE on his own. Again, that's not to say that the member of the Armstrong wrestling family wouldn't be able to contribute to TNA, but rather taking the entire scope of the situation into account.

Myla Grace, Dani Luna, and Tessa Blanchard also left the company. Myla Grace and Dani Luna are more or less under the radar among the pro wrestling landscape so their exit doesn't translate to much in the grand scheme of things. Obviously, since they weren't getting major opportunities in TNA, it was probably better for them to get their respective releases and look to make a name for themselves elsewhere.

 Aside from being the most well known of the three women wrestlers that were released, Blanchard's status, including where she works outside of TNA, might provide some insight into the bigger picture. As a disclaimer, Tessa was the rudest person that I've ever had to deal with during my time as a commentator in the Pittsburgh area during the past 18 years so I'm not a fan of hers and doubt I will have anything positive to say about her outside of the ring. However, there's absolutely no doubt that she's a tremendous performer and has the skills to be on the major platforms,while her attitude prevented her getting there. Tessa is a top quality talent and really lived up to the family name as a protege, as she's only 30 years old now, but has been polished enough for the big time for several years.

In the past, Tessa was accused of making racist remarks toward an African American talent during a tour of Japan, as well as other disrespectful behavior. Blanchard apologized for her actions, and it's very possible that she has learned from those mistakes. Most people aren't the same person that they were a decade ago, or at least they should attempt some personal growth to get a better overall view of life. It's possible that Tessa isn't the same person today as she was in 2017, and if she is, she might've wasted a decade of her life. Still, her reputation for being difficult to work with, including when she refused to drop the TNA world title and instead sent it back in the mail, has followed her. While it's possible that she evolved over time, the other side of the coin is that the dye might be cast in terms of the type of person that she is. She wouldn't be the first and won't be the last extremely talented person to waste their potential in the pro wrestling business.

Before she returned to TNA roughly a year and a half ago, the third generation star began working with CMLL in Mexico. The dynamics of lucha libre have changed a lot since the WWE acquisition of AAA, and look to be on the cusp of becoming a place where performers can make their career, both for the opportunities that will be provided with the WWE association, and outside of that realm as CMLL will look to ensure its market share in Mexico. But, when Tessa originally went there, it was the reason that most foreign stars ended up there because the money wasn't great compared to other pro wrestling destinations, most went to Mexico if they burned bridges everywhere else. For example, Mexico was one of the last places that would book Teddy Hart because was too erratic to get work anywhere else.

According to reports,  Blanchard requested her release from TNA because she wanted to keep her gig with CMML, which was rumored to be frowned upon since the WWE owns the rival promotion in Mexico and has a working agreement with TNA. As indirect of an impact as Tessa working for CMLL would have in the big picture, the fact that it might've been a point of contention with WWE with the working agreement might  shed some light on the entire story.

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that when the WWE/TNA working agreement was put into place, there's an option for the WWE to buy TNA if they choose to do so at some point in the future. In the midst of the slew of cuts, TNA actually sent out a press release and called the exits, "workforce reduction to streamline operations," which could be PR jargon for getting rid of duplicate staff that would already be in place if the WWE buys the company. A similar process took place when the WWE merged with the UFC, and many of the office staff were released since the corporation would only need one set of office personnel.

I could understand why TKO might purchase TNA to further expand its footprint and essentially cater to a demographic that doesn't lean toward the WWE product, but at the same time, working with TNA as an independently-owned group is a way to shield WWE from anti-trust violations. Remember, Major League Wrestling won a $20 million lawsuit against the company a few years ago.

Where TNA goes from here is really anyone's guess and the next few months could determine its future.

All things considered, there's no way Total Nonstop Action should've survived this long, but it started a new national television deal this year. That being said, the Impact show hasn't really set the world on fire either, it just sort of exist as a smaller option within the landscape of the industry and doesn't have enough stream to really change the direction of anything within the business. From the macro perspective, you have to wonder, is there truly room for a third national pro wrestling group? Sure, there needs to be an alternative to WWE, but outside of that, there are more options for consumers now than any other time in history through the advancement of technology. It's a realistic possibility that a third organization isn't going to garner enough of an audience to  justify its place on cable television. This isn't the late-90s when television was more or less the only distribution for content, and the internet wasn't a household item yet so there were theoretically enough viewers to justify the existence of WWF, WCW, and ECW at the same time. Now, every network, streaming platform, and podcast look to get a piece of the pie. That inherently leaves less of the market share for any pro wrestling commodity.

Given that TNA has survived against all odds over the years, I can't say they are going to fold or this is time for anyone to push the panic button for the promotion. But, if Anthem gets an offer, regardless of if that's from the WWE or another group, I wouldn't be surprised if they took it, especially because the show might've hit a ceiling as far as the audience it's going to garner on AMC. It will definitely be interesting to see how the situation unfolds, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's new ownership by the end of the year. 

What's next for Vince McMahon?

 Is Vince McMahon off the hook, or was he completely exiled?

The past few years of the WWE, business wise and on-screen, have been unpredictable to say the least. The explosive Wall Street Journal story in 2022 that started the snowball that grew into an avalanche altered the course of professional wrestling history. To rehash the details of how Vince McMahon was accused of misconduct that he paid millions of dollars to cover up would be too lengthy, especially when you take into account how he strong-armed his way back onto the WWE Board of Directors to facilitate the sale of the company to Endeavor with the promise that he would be kept in power after with the merger with the UFC was completed.

As we know, Janel Grant, a former girlfriend of McMahon that worked for the company for a brief stint during her relationship with him, filed a lawsuit in January of 2024 that was so shocking that McMahon was finally exiled from the organization in disgrace.

Given the circumstances of Vince's initial "retirement" after the Wall Street Journal report and his insistence to get back on the board to sell to a buyer that had already agreed to keep him in control of the sports entertainment venture, there's no doubt that Janel's lawsuit and the WWE shareholder lawsuit, which was based on the previous agreement that Vince made with Endeavor instead of theoretically looking for the best buyer for the stockholders, were linked to some degree.

That's also why they both could be settled within a week.

As we know, the stockholder lawsuit was based on the fact that if Vince had a prearranged agreement with  Ari Emanuel to sell the WWE to Endeavor in exchange for being put back at the top of WWE, it served McMahon's personal interest, not the investors. The regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission are put in place to protect investors in situations where they could be deceived or mislead by the commodity that they bought stock for. As the case unfolded, the outlook for the TKO side looked rather grim. Sure, the stockholders made significant money with a return on their investment because of the success of the TKO corporation since the merger, but that has nothing to do with the case itself. The big problem for TKO was that after they were told to maintain evidence such as electronic communications after the lawsuit was initially filed, executives, including Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon, used an app that was set to automatically delete their conversations with Vince.

Basically, there was enough of a paper trail, including text messages sent by Endeavor executives when Vince "retired" in mid-2022 to prove that McMahon had an arrangement with Emanuel. When it was revealed that WWE officials deleted conversations, that was more or less confirmation that they weren't going to win at trial. This lawsuit was more or less always about reaching a number for a settlement, which is something that the company had to do in similar situations before including when they had to pay $39 million after it was discovered that they mislead shareholders about a lucrative television deal in Saudi Arabia, but the question was, how much cash was it going to take to settle a much bigger lawsuit five years later? If the argument was solid, but still left some room for interpenetration, TKO management would've paid a much smaller number compared to how they were caught with their hand in the cookie jar here. The plaintiffs were seeking a few hundred million dollars when the suit was filed, but as of this writing, an official number hasn't been reported. If I had to guess, I wouldn't be too surprised if the settlement landed somewhere around $100 million, which is still a massive number, but small potatoes in the grand scheme of things when you consider the the corporation is worth somewhere around $38 billion, depending on the stock price.

Just a few days after the stock lawsuit was settled out of court last week so that it didn't go to trail, the lawyers for Janel Grant and the WWE filed a request for the case to be moved to arbitration, a legal maneuver that will keep the details private. For the majority of the lawsuit, Grant's attorney looked to keep the case public, and during that time, several graphic text messages were submitted as evidence to support her accusations against the company. With the company settling out of court with the investors to kept it from going to trial, the WWE legal team knows that a settlement with Grant sooner rather than later is probably the best legal move to keep anything else from going public.

In truth, after the Department of Justice dropped the criminal investment into McMahon after his longtime friend, Donald Trump took office for a second term, the resolution of the Grant lawsuit was going to boil down to a number that she would accept for a settlement. The question was, would she end up with the $3 million from the original nondisclosure agreement that she signed, or could she land more cash since the details went public?

Since Vince stopped payment to Grant after the Wall Street Journal story was published, it's doubtful that she will accept the original number. It's a sleazy reality of situations like this, but if it takes $20 million to make the entire story go away, it's a rather small price to pay for McMahon. A major payoff and presumably financial security for the rest of her life, assuming she doesn't squander the cash, is probably the best case scenario for Grant. Remember, McMahon donated $6 million to Trump's first campaign, and Linda worked on the board of a Super Pac to raise money for his second term so ethical or not, Vince isn't going to have to defend himself from criminal charges. It's only about the number that Janel Grant will accept to settle the lawsuit, and with both sides requesting to move to arbitration, the next step is to determine a number to keep it private.

But, where does this leave Vince?

As delusional as it might sound, there are those that somehow believe that the WWE would propel in popularity again if Vince was put back in charge. Let's not forget, the drek that Vince booked for the majority of the latter portion of his tenure was so bland that there was enough dissatisfaction that it created the demand for an alternative that when All Elite Wrestling launched in 2019, there was a noticeably part of the pro wrestling demographic that was willing to at least sample the product. No, Vince back as the boss wouldn't benefit WWE programming, and there's a legitimate argument to be made that it wouldn't be a safe environment for female talent.

At 80, there's no doubt that Vince would takeover again if given the opportunity, he doesn't plan to do the job for anyone, even the grim reaper so he'd plan to be in the chair for Wrestlemania 62 in a few decades. That being said, it's a long shot that Ari Emanuel would risk any potential backlash from investors to put Vince back in power, not because of any moral standard, but rather because one of the reasons the house of cards originally fell for McMahon was that it was revealed that he used company money to pay for the nondisclosure agreements to cover up his affairs. Taking into account the Saudi lawsuit five years ago and the shareholder lawsuit that the corporation just settled last week, it wouldn't be wise for the stability of the stock price to give McMahon any executive power.

So, a position as the head of WWE is probably off the table, but what about a return to television?

Sure, it might be impossible, but it would've been thought to be impossible that one day Vince would be on the outside to begin with if someone suggested that possibility just a few years ago. With the legal matters officially closed, it puts more of a distance between Vince and the accusations, as well as the negative publicity. We've already seen that he was mentioned occasionally by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon since he was exiled in disgrace. Does this mean that McMahon will be back as a part of a storyline? No, not necessarily, but the way is more or less cleared for Vince to be recognized within company history again. As sleazy as it might be, given the evidence to support the accusations against him, a Hall of Fame induction to celebrate his career would be considered a monumental WWE moment. Of course, the fans would gleefully bow and praise him, which is one of the many reasons that pro wrestling will always be considered low brow entertainment, regardless of how much main stream distribution it gets. Aside from the payoffs between the two cases, that might be the biggest takeaway from the collective stories, this could ultimately be the first step toward fully restoring Vince McMahon's existence within WWE history, even if it's debatable if he should be celebrated by the company. 

ECW on Sci-Fi

This past weekend marked twenty years since the ill-fated relaunch of Extreme Championship Wrestling under the WWE banner with the ECW on Sci-Fi show. As we know, ECW folded under the pressure of the competition of the industry by early-2001. It's final "official" event was the Guilty As Charged pay-per-view at the Hammerstein Ballroom, drawing a solid house of an estimated 2,500 fans. A pair of bought house shows, when a sponsor brings in the brand for a set price. were held in Pine Bluff Arkansas of all places two weeks later, but for all intents and purposes, the January 7th pay-per-view in New York was the last national mark that the renegade organization made before HHG Corp, the parent company of ECW, filed for bankruptcy in April of 2001.

The numerous reasons for why ECW collapsed are well-documented so there's no need to rehash it, but one thing is for sure, the group went out of business because of bad financial deals that Paul Heyman made as he tried to keep pace with the multi-million dollar corporations of WWF and WCW at the time, not a lack of fan support. Heyman gets a lot of rightful grief sometimes for how he handed his time as the boss of the promotion, but at the same time, in retrospect, it's much easier to be able to see the full scope of what became a net negative for ECW, and potentially what would've been a better deal with the benefit of hindsight, as opposed to trying to navigate those landmines in real time. The WWF was about to take Taz and The Dudley Boys, Shane Douglas left for WCW a few months prior, and The Sandman had yet to return when Heyman inked the disastrous TNN deal that ultimately became the biggest reason that ECW shut down.

It goes without saying that part of the reason that a national platform is so important for a pro wrestling commodity is that it allows the company to maximize the amount of revenue streams and thus generate as much revenue from them as possible. The regional format was that television was used to sell tickets to the live events. By the late-90s, especially during the pro wrestling boom period when a WWF or WCW logo would be stamped on almost anything (did the investment into those WWF Beanie Babies payoff yet?), sponsors, advertisers, merchandise, and pay-per-view were the key difference makers compared to the previous era when the live gate was the biggest piece of the pie. When ECW got no revenue from commercials or sponsorships on the TNN show, the biggest upside, if there truly was one, for them from the television contract was that it theoretically expanded their touring possibilities and potential pay-per-view audience. The problem was, there was also an increase in production costs across the board for their schedule, as well as for the television show itself.

Bubba Dudley once described ECW has the napster of the pro wrestling industry, and he was right, as it changed the business, but it was never meant to last. ECW burned the candle at both ends, and in a few ways, succeeded to the level that it did in spite of itself, particularly because some of the moves it made to stay true to the original vision were the same reasons that it imploded within a relatively short period of time. TNA, Ring of Honor, and All Elite Wrestling have all lasted longer than ECW, despite not having nearly the same amount of influence on the business.

More than a quarter of a century after that final pay-per-view, fans still remember the product and ECW merchandise is still sold on the WWE Shop website.

With the south Philadelphia promotion ending so under the radar, which was the opposite of how it existed, there definitely seemed to be a lack of closure for the industry and the fan base. A slew of alphabet soup leagues tried to take its place in the years that followed, but most were mere cheap imitations that tried to be an alternative in an industry that had completely consolidated to the WWE as the sole national company after the Attitude era. As we know, WWE bought the assets, including the tape library out of bankruptcy court in 2003 after an extended legal process because of all the creditors that ECW had before it officially closed. The founder of the company, Tod Gordon had a claim in court about the early video footage, but it was dismissed. The WWE eventually secured the music rights to the ECW theme song, which wasn't owned by the original promotion either.

The late-2004 release of The Rise and Fall of ECW DVD and it's major success proved that there was a market for the brand. Roughly six months later, Shane Douglas held the Hardcore Homecoming reunion show at the ECW Arena, which sold out in minutes with over a 1,000 fans in attendance. The same weekend, the WWE put One Night Stand on pay-per-view, which was a legendary show of the modern era.

Given the success, the following year's One Night Stand served as a launching pad for the previously mentioned ECW on Sci-Fi show. While the network was an odd choice, it was under the USA network umbrella so from a corporate prospective, it made sense for the suits to get another wrestling property on one of their channels.

As we know, the segment that is most remembered on that June 13, 2006 broadcast was also the segment where everyone watching knew that the extreme experiment was doomed.

The opening of the show, the first segment of "official" ECW after five years of anticipation was the infamous ECW zombie. It was tacky, it was hokey, and it was lame. It was when the audience, those that had organically rallied for this revival to happen, knew that they were going to witness a Vince McMahon hatchet job on the extreme legacy.

It goes without saying that it wasn't possible to recreate the late-90s in 2006, as the business and society had moved on. However, that doesn't mean that the ECW brand itself couldn't have been successful with an updated presentation. Of course, successful is a subjective term, but I think it's fair to say that the project could've been more successful than the drek that was booked for it. There were a myriad of reasons why it wasn't going to work, including the fact that it was aired live each week after the crowd in the building already saw a Smackdown taping on Tuesdays so you weren't going to get an enthusiastic reaction. The Sandman caning the zombie wasn't enough to save the segment, the message was sent what the prospects of this show were. Aside from the opening silliness, there seemed to be a specific effort to bury as many of the ECW originals as fast as possible with a cast of development talent that the audience wasn't familiar with.

Basically, this was nothing like the original ECW with the exception of the way Rob Van Dam and Sabu were used for a short period of time, and the fans knew that they were watching a third-tier brand that just happened to be called ECW. The show last just over three and a half years before the office pulled the plug to replace it with an actual developmental show for the original version of NXT. I have to be honest, one of the reasons that the majority of the 2010s of the WWE product was so bland was how much the ECW experiment soured the audience. It was almost a reflection of the notion that the WWE could book whatever they wanted and if fans were going to watch pro wrestling in the United States, they were going to watch WWE since the promotion more or less had a monopoly at the time.

The details of the three and a half years of the existence of the WWE's ECW are sparse, bland, and uninspiring. There was nothing compelling or insightful about any of it and within a year or so, the shift was completely away from anything remotely related to ECW so it was doomed to fail.

Even two decades later, you have to wonder, why did Vince McMahon bring back those three letters? Did he really expect the same audience that bought the Rise and Fall DVD, and ordered the One Night Stand pay-per-view to accept Matt Striker in exchange for the Sabu? Was Kevin Thorne supposed to replace The Sandman? Mike Knox was going to surpass Tommy Dreamer? To be fair to the new breed faction, those guys were put in an impossible position as well, just on the other end of the spectrum. The office did no favors for their careers by putting them in those roles.

Given how cynical pro wrestling is, of course the question must be asked, did Vince really bring back ECW just to finally quiet its legacy? In the early-2000s, Triple H monopolized his position at the top of the card for several years in a row. If that was because he was in the McMahon family tree is debatable, depending on who you asked, but the point is, by 2005, there was more of a demand for ECW, partially because it had been gone for five years, than Raw or Smackdown. Would Vince really go through the effort and waste three and a half years of television time to finally squash the ECW chants? Keep in mind, this is the same guy that had to book Triple H to pin Sting 15 years after he won the Monday Night war and purchased WCW.

Thankfully, within the past two decades since the infamous zombie popped up on the screen of that first episode on Sci-Fi, enough time has passed that the stain of WWE's attempt faded from the legacy of the original ECW. Today, the original promotion is celebrated and merchandised through convention appearances, merchandise, video game cameos, and even new Mattel action figures. For a company that was never designed to last, it's quite remarkable that ECW is still a marketable commodity more than 25 years later.

What's the status of WWE?

Is professional wrestling lukewarm or did the temperature of the industry drop below 32 degrees in the middle of June?

One of the common talking points online right now is the notion that WWE is "soulless" under the TKO banner that churns out endless commercials and shameless sponsorships to the point that even the most diehard WWE fan has taken notice. The ironic part of that is, most of these corporate troupes have been apart of WWE programming for the past few years, and it seems like some viewers have only taken the time to truly put it into context more recently. Granted, the entire point of the promotional side of the business is to make as much of the product seem "must see" and as big as possible, but the WWE leaned into the sizzle to the point that it more than overwhelmed the level of substance that couldn't live up to the hype. 

The original Bloodline narrative was very well done, and against the odds, management was able to keep the Cody Rhodes chase for the championship relevant. It should be noted that his 2023 bout with Brock Lesnar at Summer Slam was pivotal to keep him strong as a baby face contender. Rhodes winning the title in honor of his late father, Dusty was fantastic storytelling and obviously, one of the most memorable moments of the modern era. That being said, the victory was the peak moment of this time period and everything within the past two years has been a natural decline. That's not a knock on anyone, just the fact that every peak has a valley, and the best case scenario is to minimize the depth of the valley to maintain good business during those overall decreases as the next crop of money-drawing stars are produced.

There's no doubt that Cody is a successful champion, and generally speaking, the WWE has a very successful business model right now with a significant amount of star power on the roster. If TKO is maximizing the short-term money in exchange for eroding the fan base in the future is a completely different discussion. However, it's tough to argue with the Nick Khan and TKO philosophy when the WWE can tout record-setting profits for shareholders during conference calls.

That being said, and this might be the biggest point to be made of the current criticism of TKO, did the corporation overplay its hand to the point that it diminished the enthusiasm that was around the brand not that long ago?

While I will say that the Samoan saga of the Bloodline was brilliantly done, the notion from some pundits a few years ago that it should've been considered for an Emmy was completely silly. This is pro wrestling, not Casablanca. Along those lines, it was almost as though the WWE's selling point became more about some faux "fine art of pro wrestling" than a compelling product that often didn't justify the astronomical ticket prices. The biggest WWE selling point became that the fans should understand how wonderful this dramatic sports entertainment spectacle is rather than booking a product that could accomplish that goal organically based on the substance of the storylines.

Eventually, when the momentum of the Cody victory subsided, the audience was left with the previously mentioned slew of commercials that surpassed the amount of time given to the action on the broadcast. Calling the TKO product "soulless" is a way to get fans to click on the titles of Youtube videos, whereas the actual reasoning behind it is less dramatic than that. The WWE product is repetitive and stale, which was the same issue they had about a decade ago, albeit under different circumstances. The harsh reality is that the current narratives have more or less been told so it's time to evolve and bring the audience something fresh. Does that mean that the entire main event scene should be scrapped? No, Cody is cemented as a top guy and should be booked as such. Roman Reigns is also bulletproof, as is CM Punk, but that doesn't necessarily mean that any of them should continue to occupy the main event scene on a full-time basis going forward. The bigger point is that while those guys are still options for the main event picture, there should be a concerted effort from the office to productively push the next group of stars that are going to be responsible for representing the brand.

As I said, Cody was a successful champion and his two-year journey to the championship at Wrestlemania 40 was a successful coronation of the next top guy at the time, but the metrics of more or less every aspect of the industry is different because of the countless hours of WWE programming. On one hand, those media rights deals are why the WWE is worth billions of dollars, but on the other hand, the schedule burns through material at an exponentially faster pace than in the past. It was much easier to book Hulk Hogan as the champion for four years in the 80s when there was usually one hour of wrestling on TV each week. You inherently get less mileage out of everything in the business because there's a lot more that those characters and angles have to do to satisfy the line-up of WWE programming at any given time. The bottom line is, more exposure leads to a shorter overall run.

If I had to guess, I think that's why the WWE finds itself at the point it does right now, booking a repetitive angle on television simply because they don't have anything fresh on the horizon. The Roman Reigns/Jacob Fatu storyline is a carbon copy of the Roman/Jey Uso feud from five years ago. As I wrote previously, the way Cody was booked to lose his way into the spot at Wrestlemania actually devalued him as a character. He lost the title on a random episode of Smackdown, lost at the Rumble and then lost at the Elimination Chamber. After he was made to look like he wasn't up to par for the main event of WM, he won the belt back on another random episode of Smackdown. As we know, the Randy Orton match-up, as well as Pat McAfee's involvement fell dismally flat when the office hit the panic button about ticket sales. Why wasn't Cody vs. Drew deemed a strong enough main event for WM 42? The reason was, it was a match that the fans had seem a few times already because of the previously mentioned demands of the WWE schedule. With the repetitive angle of The Bloodline, and the argument to be made that Cody hasn't recovered as a baby face from the way he was booked earlier this year, it's fair to say that the current WWE product might not be frozen since it has star power, but it's undoubtedly cold in the grand scheme of things.

All Elite Wrestling had its most compelling storyline in recent memory with the MJF/Darby Allin title match at Double or Nothing. The problem is, and this is probably why it worked because it didn't run long enough for Tony Khan to complicate it, that compelling feud only lasted a month. There are reports that MJF suffered a minor knee injury during a match against Rush, but as long as he's healed up by the Wembley Stadium event to presumably drop the title to Will Ospreay, it doesn't really affect the big picture. Don't get me wrong, All Elite shouldn't necessarily be the subject of criticism, or at least no more than the usual justified amount, but in terms of the climate of the industry, All Elite doesn't really boost or plunge the temperate. That's not a jab, but rather an observation. It would be too lengthy to rehash many of the previous articles, but essentially, for the positive and the negative, All Elite Wrestling is already what it's going to be. The die is cast so to speak as far as Tony Khan books the matches that he wants to watch, not necessarily what's going to bring in more fans. He has the right to do that, his family funds the project and it's one of the perks of the job. Somehow, an increase in the amount of star ratings is more important than stagnant or decreased television ratings. If the promotion makes money or turns a profit is moot since money is no object to the Khan family. The point being, All Elite Wrestling has a format that caters to more of a niche audience so the vast majority of the programming isn't going to shift the direction of the industry.

New Japan was just sold to Cyber Fight for a reported $22.6 million so it remains to be seen if that will put them on a bigger platform or not, but there's no question that the Japanese league is in a rebuilding phase. All things considered, All Elite Wrestling remains lukewarm because with the amount of talent they have, even a hit or miss product can yield some gems, but overall they are at room temperature because as I said, AEW isn't going to truly impact the course of the business. I don't think the WWE is in an ice age, because again, with the amount of talent and star power that they have, the potential is there for a much bigger upside, but management needs to rejuvenate the current landscape with some fresh angles to boost the product.

Topuria vs. Gaethje

This weekend, Dana White and the UFC will perform for Donald Trump when the octagon is imported to the lawn of the White House for an event to celebrate the orange blob's 80th birthday. Coincidentally, this will be after Trump bought stock in TKO, the parent company of the WWE/UFC umbrella. It was also after Trump settled a $10 billion lawsuit with his own Department of Justice with an agreement that saw the lawsuit dropped in exchange for the IRS dropping any current or future audits of the Trump family. 

Just another day in America.

The White House card was actually the subject of a lawsuit of its own, but the attempted legal action, regardless of if it was furious or had merit is moot. The pay-per-view will take place as scheduled with a seven-fight card this Sunday. Of course, this grandstanding and symbolic bowing to the president is nothing more than ensuring favor from the administration going forward. It might be sleazy, it might be unethical, and there might be questions about how legal it is, but it's still a smart move. Dana White, the McMahon family, and Endeavor management will have a useful ace up their sleeve when needed, or literally a get out of jail free card. A mass pardon of rioters that tried to stop the peaceful transfer of power of an election is a very low bar so there's no doubt that Trump would bail out those that threw him a birthday party if they found themselves in legal jeopardy. It pays to have powerful connections and this UFC card cements that Trump will be more than willing to repay the favor in the future. Keep in mind, the merger of Paramount, the corporation that signed the UFC to a $7 billion rights deal for a seven-year contract, looked for government approval of a merger with Warner Brothers Discovery.

Amidst the pyro and ballyhoo for the orange villain's birthday, there is an actual fight card that could have some direct implications to some of the divisions in the company.

With Tom Aspinall still sidelined with the gruesome eye injury that he suffered in the first round of a fight against Ciryl Gane last October, and no timetable for his expected return to the UFC after multiple eye surgeries to repair the damage, Gane will stepped into the cage with Alex Pereira to determine an interim 265 LBS champion. While I hope Aspinall can make a full recovery to return to the sport, given the seriousness of the injury, I wouldn't be completely shocked if he's on the shelf long enough that he will have to vacate the title and the interim champion is eventually elevated to the position of the undisputed heavyweight titleholder. Pereira, who is a former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, vacated the belt to move up to the heavyweight division. Ciryl Gane is a solid contender with a pro record of 13-2-1 and he beat solid competition to rack up those victories. The problem is, at least for this bout against Pereira, Gane's two career losses against Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones were the top-tier of the division at the time. Gane can be successful against most of the contenders in the heavyweight division, but he doesn't have a win against any of the top guys. I'd say that Pereira, with his razor-sharp striking skills, would be considered one of the top-tier fighters in the UFC, despite this being his debut at heavyweight.

I could be wrong, but I'd expect Pereira to be too quick and too dangerous for Gane over the course of a five-round fight. In some ways, given the height and reach similarities, Gane will probably have some of the same issues against  Pereira that he did against Jones at UFC 285 in March of 2023. At 38, Pereira is at the latter stage of his career, but still seems to be at a physical peak so I have to pick him to win the fight.

The show will be headlined by a UFC Light Weight championship unification bout when the undefeated, Ilia Topuria squares off with Justin Gaethje. This should be a fireworks show, which is what it was designed to be. Gaethje's reputation to deliver Rocky-style performance is probably more important than his pro record of 27-5 ahead of this contest. Ilia Topuria is more well-rounded, with a nearly equal amount of knockout wins compared to submission victories in his career, whereas the vast majority of Gaethje's wins are via KO. It goes without saying that since Topuria is undefeated that he should be favored to win this one, and that's why I will pick him to get the victory. Essentially,  Gaethje has a puncher's chance, but given how dangerous he is as a striker, it's a much more competitive puncher's chance than is usually associated with the term.

Outside of the co-main and main event fights, the other five bouts, at least on paper, could be hit or miss in terms of their quality of competition. For example, Micheal Chandler, as talented as he was as a wrestler in his prime, is on a three-fight skid and is 1-5 in his last six contests. The younger opponent Maurício Ruffy should be able to beat Chandler within two rounds. Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis might be a toss up because anything can happen in the heavyweight division. One thing is for sure, if Hokit tries to trade punches with Lewis the way that he did with Curtis Blaydes in his last fight, Lewis will win by KO early in the fight. Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus is a fight under the radar and will probably be moot in the grand scheme of things in the middleweight division. Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia is another fight that nobody seems to be talking about, but I think this featherweight contest will get viewers to take notice since the two competitors are known for action inside the octagon. Former Bantamweight champion, Sean O'Malley has a fan following, and given the level of competition or lack thereof that Aiemann Zahabi competed against prior to this, I'd say the expectation is that the younger O'Malley will be able to use his speed to get the win for this to be a showcase fight for him.

The fight card is a part of an entire weekend of festivities in honor of Emperor Palpatine's birthday, and while combat sports being put on the White House lawn so that Dana White can score brownie points with the president might be a silly concept, there are serious logistics that go into the event. The Associated Press reported that the UFC presentation will cost an estimated $60 million because of the amount of construction and security concerns involved. Various media outlets have reported that the UFC will lose around $30 million dollars on the production since they can't sell tickets to the event because it will be held at the White House, and the previously mentioned construction costs. Still, the $30 million dollar loss on the show itself will be minimal when being on good terms with Trump can yield exponentially more cash through merger approvals and potential sponsorships. When you take into account that Trump literally has a vested interest into the success of TKO since he bought stock, it could reveal that the White House card is about the eventual cash, not a fight card for the company.