CM Punk at Raw

CM Punk is a masterful politician.

As much as "the summer of Punk" in 2011 was based on CM Punk's rage against the machine of the corporate agenda of the WWE office, make no mistake about it, he's as political as anyone. That's not a knock, either. Pro wrestling always was and will always be a political chess match. The ability to maneuver the pieces on the board behind the scenes can often allow for success in front of the cameras.

That's why Punk's visit to Raw backstage in Chicago this week shouldn't be all that surprising.

According to PW Insider's Mike Johnson, Punk was traveling back from Tampa, where he did commentary for an MMA event and was on the same flight with several of the WWE talents. Reportedly, those talents invited the former WWE and AEW champion to go backstage at Raw in his hometown of Chicago. If the rumor mill is to be believed, Punk's stay at the WWE product was brief, as he was asked to leave by Vince McMahon because he's currently under contract to All Elite Wrestling. Considering there was the previous speculation of WWE in discussion with AEW competitors about when their deals expire, Punk being asked to leave would've been more of a technicality than anything else to avoid any potential lawsuit for contract tampering of AEW talent. We all know that Jerry McDevitt was busy enough the past few years. Still, The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer noted that Punk had the chance to talk to The Miz, who he had some harsh criticism of online in recent years, and Triple H, another WWE representative that he was very critical of after he left the company.

Punk isn't known as a forgiving guy so why exactly would he want to mend WWE fences now?

As nice as it legitimately is when someone reaches a level of peace to bury the hatchet on past grudges, I highly doubt that CM Punk was backstage to patch things up simply out of the goodness of his heart.If I had to guess, I'd say that Punk was indirectly putting his name back into the WWE conversation, if for no other reason than to clear the path for an eventual comeback run before he finally retires. Granted, he's still under an AEW deal, but at most there are only a few years left on that and some good will with the WWE doesn't hurt when he hits the free agent market, either as a bargaining chip with Tony Khan or signing a new deal with WWE. For those that might scoff at the notion that Punk would sign another contract with Vince McMahon, Phil Brooks is a capitalist before he's supposedly a rebel of the industry. If Ultimate Warrior returned to WWE then it's more than possible that Punk makes a comeback. Some might cite Punk's role on the short-lived FS1 show, but that was Brooks hired by Fox, not WWE. All things considered, the disputes with the company, including the lengthy lawsuit and its aftermath from statements that Punk made about WWE's medical staff on Colt Cabana's podcast, might've been too fresh at that point. Time might not heal all wounds, but cash usually does. With the UFC merger and the $21.9 billion that will be under the Endeavor banner, it's a very wise move for Punk to put himself in a scenario where he could start a dialogue that opens the door for a contract that would eventually left him get a piece of that pie.

Assuming Punk made amends with The Miz and Triple H, it's definitely an olive branch, otherwise why would he show up backstage? He humbly showed up on WWE's doorstep, exchanged a few words with those he wanted to talk to, and left when he was asked without incident because he knows the corporate game of contracts. The millions of dollars for an Endeavor contract make it much easier to apologize to The Miz, and it's not a one-sided scenario either. Based on the All Elite ratings, there's still a portion of the WWE audience that haven't seen Punk compete in a match since his exit in 2014. As polarizing as Jim Cornette might be these days, he was absolutely correct with the concept of, "how can we miss you if you won't go away?" so there would undoubtedly still be a demand for CM Punk from the WWE fan base. If there's money to be made from it, and it appears that there is, the WWE office isn't going to leave money on the table. The company didn't become a part of a $21.9 billion merger because management didn't maximize revenue streams.

How does this impact AEW?

In truth, in the short term, it doesn't. Phil Brooks is under contract and is reportedly ready to return to the ring after he had surgery to repair the torn bicep that he suffered during the match with Jon Moxley last September. At one point in the aftermath of the infamous AEW media scrum, Dave Meltzer reported that Punk was in negotiations with Tony Khan of a possible buyout of his contract, which wouldn't make much sense since Khan could've released him without paying him the hefty portion of his deal. However, it's very possible that Punk looked for an early release, and Tony didn't grant it so he was content to stay home and collect the check while he recovered from the injury. That being said, if Punk knows he can't get out of his AEW deal, he either has to be willing to return to work to continue to collect those big paydays or he would be in breach of contract. Considering that Punk already had enough lawsuits to deal with since his WWE exit, it's the smart move to make the cash instead of spending it on more attorneys.

However, that doesn't mean that Tony Khan shouldn't take notice of the message that was sent by Phil Brooks when he showed up backstage at Raw. Punk let Khan know that he will have other options to make major money after his All Elite contract expires so it would be in Khan's best interest to book him in situations that will generate a return on the hefty investment that was made to sign him. While that makes sense, I honestly believe Khan should've released Punk after the All Out press conference. The numbers were more or less stagnant for most of his run on television and of the year that he was on the roster, he spent a quarter of that time on the shelf with a foot injury. Most importantly, Phil Brooks buried the entire company while Khan sat next to him looking completely lost. The entire situation made AEW look minor league and in many ways, the company still has some of that perception. That being said, it's clear that Khan isn't going to release Punk so what to do with him next, especially with the years left on his contract will be key to generate a return on the previously mentioned contract investment.

The Wrestling Observer reported that CM Punk claims that he's willing to work with The Elite and make peace with them, but the trio of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks aren't as open to the idea of working with him. Of course, Punk is going to say that because he's a capitalist and wants to make the money on the table. Again, a few million dollars makes it much easier to sell the super kick with the silly leg slap. Plus, I've said before, Punk publicly proclaimed that if anyone has a problem with him then they can go to him so he can't claim he didn't ask for a confrontation when someone approaches him about the disagreement. I take the reports of Discovery's request for CM Punk to be the centerpiece of a third show with a grain of salt especially because injuries could theoretically sideline anyone at anytime. While a third show is rumored, it doesn't matter how much money would be offered for it, I honestly think it would be a negative to the company in the long term and that the short end money isn't worth how much a third-tier show would dilute the presentation of the product.

Assuming that there's a third show in the future, even if Punk is going to be the featured performer, the reports that the potential Saturday show would be a way to keep CM Punk away from those that don't want to work him are silly. This is the wrestling business and the biggest money to be made for All Elite Wrestling is to put CM Punk in a feud with The Elite based on their real-life animosity. This isn't elementary school where everyone gets their own part of the playground. There are potentially millions of dollars to be made on pay-per-view, if The Elite don't realize that or aren't willing to work with CM Punk to draw it then Tony Khan should seriously consider who he pushes as the top talent in the company.

The bottom line is, Phil Brooks' visit backstage to Raw was a way to ensure he has the option to land another big contract before he hangs up his boots, and to let Tony Khan know that he should be used in a featured spot upon his return to AEW because he has other options when his contract expires. With everything that was said, the lawsuits, and the backstage drama that involved CM Punk over the years in the two companies, you have to give him credit for the way he politically weaved his way into a much better spot earlier this week. Punk would probably send Joe to watch Jeopardy with a cup of coco, and verbal shred the orange villain so prehaps he should consider a run in the next election.

Nick Lendl in AEW

"Being in the ring, holding that microphone and seeing all those people,watching you and waiting for you to talk, is a truly special feeling. Only if you've been under those lights do you understand. Whether there are 10,000 people there or 200, it's always a rush."

In many ways, Pittsburgh-based ring announcer, Nick Lendl was born and bred to be under the bright lights. On the stage with his father's local band as earlier as his toddler years, Nick came a long way from those smokey VFW halls where he sang along with cover tunes. From those humble beginnings with pool tables and cigarette machines in the background, Lendl's mic skills have taken him on an upward trajectory throughout the majority of his life.

After he spent $2,000 for a VIP tour of the WWE Performance Center several years ago, asking head trainer, Matt Bloom how to become a top level ring announcer and getting the chance to "audition" for the staff of some of the brightest minds in the industry, Nick impressed Bloom. The enthusiastic youngster was told to pursue a degree and then get seasoning on the independent circuit so he did just that. After attending Robert Morris University and linking up with the International Wrestling Cartel in his hometown in 2016, Lendl started a journey that has already taken him across the country for his skills with a mic.

"It's a slow process for sure, especially for an announcer. Getting bookings when you first start out is near impossible. That was the hardest part for me was getting my name out there. Thankfully, through my work with Ring of Honor and evolving over the years, I'm at the point where my name is in the discussion when AEW or other companies need an announcer," Lendl remarked.

Through those travels, he met and was mentored by longtime Ring Of Honor announcer, Bobby Cruise, and along with working various ROH events pre-pandemic, Lendl even achieved a milestone with the opportunity to announce a bout in the hallowed halls of Madison Square Garden under the ROH banner in 2019.

When the world was shuttered from the COVID pandemic in 2020, sports entertainment took the hit just as much as any other industry with the vast majority of independent groups kept out of action for several months, and even the major league groups running events under noticeable limitations.

For Ring Of Honor, a group that was purchased by Sinclair Broadcasting in 2011, there was even more of a level of uncertainty when Sinclair announced the organization would go on hiatus at the end of 2021. The door that brought Nick to MSG appeared to close, but another opportunity would eventually fall into place, specifically when Tony Khan, All Elite boss, announced that he bought the promotion in 2021.

Speaking of the pandemic and All Elite Wrestling, after the company had to settle into its home base of Jacksonville for so long, the diehard AEW audience was ready for that live event experience to return, as the company went back on the road with its weekly television tapings. In an era where so much is rightfully emphasized about content and the revenue that can be generated from it, the house show or non-televised event, is somewhat of a lost art. In truth, those live events were the foundation of the industry for several decades in the territory system before the evolution of media distribution made sports entertainment primarily a TV business.

Still, that's why the announcement of AEW's "House Rules" event last month in Troy, Ohio was met with a level of excitement, as it was action that only those in the building had the chance to see first hand. With AEW in the tri-state area for a special event, they made the call for a special guest to ring announce the show, Nick Lendl.

"I've been in contact with AEW since the promotion started in 2019, but when Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor, things started to fall in place for me to start getting some opportunities there. They've reached out a few times when they needed an announcer and that's what happened here. Sometimes, it's stressful to walk into a new locker room, but with my experience in Ring of Honor and the indy scene, I've worked with a good majority of the roster. Bobby Cruise was there too, which was awesome because he has been a mentor to me for the last few years," Nick explained.

Despite his booming voice only being heard by those in the house in Troy, Ohio last month, Nick's elite experience would span far beyond just the few thousand fans in the building that night. He didn't know it at the time, but the impact of his decision to make the trip to Troy would eventually see his face on national television under the guidance of Tony Khan himself.

"Surprisingly, they actually asked me to record some backstage interviews and used the clip on Dynamite. The pressure was on too because about five seconds before we started recording, Tony Khan walked in the room. He produced all of my interviews. I've met Tony before, but to have him standing there watching was a real sink or swim moment. But, he was really laid back and easy to talk to about everything, Lendl commented.

This Saturday, pro wrestling will take Nick to the Rostraver Ice Gardens, a well-known venue for the sport as far back as the original ECW and as recent as Ring Of Honor during the early days of the Sinclair regime, for the International Wrestling Cartel's Superstar Showdown 4, an event that will be headlined by Rob Van Dam in an Extreme Rules match and a rare independent appearance by the legendary Jake "The Snake" Roberts. All Elite Wrestling stars, Brain Cage and Cole Karter are also scheduled for the stacked line-up. Of course, Nick's voice is featured on the television commercial for the event that has aired for the past few weeks in local markets.

Where professional wrestling takes Nick Lendl next remains to be seen, but the odds say that he will continue upward in his career path.

AEW Dynamite live

All Elite Wrestling made its return to Pittsburgh, a city known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced, for the fourth time this past week, and also for the fourth time, the great Pat Maclaughlin and I had tickets to the event, departing from the suburbs of Western, Pennsylvania at about 5:30 PM to arrive for a 7 PM bell time. Surprisingly, despite Penn Dot being notoriously known for construction seemingly everywhere around the steel city, the trip to the Peterson Events Center, the venue that hosts Pitt Panther basketball games, was rather uneventful. Since long distances aren't my strong suite, Pat was nice enough to drop me off in front of the build before he was brave enough to venture to find a parking spot. By the time the show started with the Ring Of Honor taping, the seats were mostly full so I'm not sure what, if any changes were made to the entry process, but the Peterson staff kept the lines moving and avoided a log jam or any major traffic in the aisles as fans entered the building. Thankfully, the aging Maclaughlin found his way to the front doors after he parked and we found our way to the seats, the risers right about the floor, providing us with a good view of the action. We ran into Andrew Palace, a stellar Pittsburgh grappler that was working as a part of the local staff that night, and aside from being one of the most solid performers on the Pittsburgh circuit, he's also one of the politest people I've met in wrestling.

Pat and I found our seats just as the ROH taping began, but to avoid any spoilers for bouts that haven't aired yet, I won't detail the results. However, a contest to go out of your way to watch for any of those that might have access to Honor Club is the Lee Moriarty/Rocky Romero bout. Lee is an alumni of Ryse Wrestling, the local organization where I provide commentary for the broadcasts of events, and it's so great to get to see him work on such a major stage in Pittsburgh. He's one of the kindest people I know and he undoubtedly deserves the success.

The live broadcast kicked off with the extended in-ring promo with the "four pillars" and I have to say, I honestly think that AEW should do a better job of explaining the concept. Too often, especially with the broadcast team, I don't think enough attention is paid to the fact that the national television audience has no idea what the All Japan concept was more than twenty five years ago. I'm not trying to be too negative about this segment, but it was more or less the exact same promo from last week and really didn't do anything other than to set up the Jungle Boy/Sammy Guevera main event, which is fine, but that could've been accomplished without the nearly 20-minute segment that was more or less a carbon copy of a previous edition of Dynamite.

The six woman tag match was fine. It wasn't spectacular, but it didn't need to be. Britt Baker was one of the most over performers on the entire show and when someone is that over, you don't need the high spots or the car crash match to get a reaction. The hometown baby face won and the crowd popped for it so it was mission accomplished.

I'm not sure if the impromptu brawl between The Elite and The Blackpool Combat Club was scheduled because Matt Jackson has a legitimate arm injury and might not be cleared for a match or if this was what would've been planned anyway, but it was a fun segment that gave the audience the chance to see each stable on the show. Konosuke Takeshita was involved in this angle and it will be interesting to see if this association with the two featured factions will lead to more exposure for him, but hopefully, there's a bigger plan in place for the Japanese grappler. He's just too talented to get lost in the shuffle, but given the sporadic nature of the AEW product, I wouldn't be surprised if he's presented as a secondary figure during this feud.

The TNT title match was solid. Wardlow and Powerhouse Hobbs are two guys that Tony Khan should consider a priority for the future, especially Hobbs, as the series of vignettes that were done with him recently cemented the authenticity that he brings to the table. That's why it's somewhat puzzling that the TNT title was booked as a hot potato in recent months. Wardlow's rather short reign initially didn't do much to help his momentum, and if Tony Khan wanted to go with Hobbs as TNT champion instead, that's completely understandable, but to pass the belt back and fourth was almost too 50/50 for either one of them to make progress from the wins. Unfortunately, Wardlow's status has been hit or miss since the infamous MJF incident at Double or Nothing last year so unless Khan has solid plans for Wardlow in the future, he might want to consider WWE an option in the future.

Jay White vs. Komander was an entertaining match, but as much as this might ruffle some feathers of The Wrestling Observer fan base, White was more or less responsible for the quality of this contest. In many ways, this was a prime example of a very well-rounded worker that can do anything in the ring to make it work compared to the performer that only knows how to do the high spots. Don't get me wrong, Komander's athleticism, especially in-person, is absolutely incredible, but White was the "glue" of this match. As mentioned, Komander's aerial ability is tremendous, but outside of those high spots, he doesn't really excel at any other aspect of the sport. Instead of working the pace of the match, he more or less put it on autopilot until the next dive. On the flip side, Jay White is the complete worker and still in the prime of his career. I have to be honest, I was surprised that White landed in AEW, particularly after it was rumored that he might've been close to a WWE deal. As he proved in New Japan, Jay White is a top guy so Tony Khan would be wise to use him at a level on par with his skills. Speaking of signing an AEW contract, it was announced on social media that Komander inked a deal. At this point, I have to shake my head when I see more wrestlers, specifically those that are similar to many already on the roster, get added to the company. That's not to say that Komander doesn't have talent, but rather what's the plan for him? This has happened so many times that it almost validates the criticism that Tony uses AEW as a vanity project. Khan gives away more contracts than Oprah gave away cars, and the odds say that Komander ends up on the Youtube shows within a few months. Has anyone seen Bandido?

The Adam Cole/Chris Jericho segment wasn't the typical AEW promo, but it was great business. It generated heat for the angle and gave the storyline a purpose. It wasn't just putting Jericho in a feud with Adam Cole to give them both something to do on the show, the segment established a premise for the storyline with Cole trying to get revenge for the attack on Britt Baker. How the storyline plays out remains to be seen, but I'd say this was a money segment.

The main event of Jungle Boy vs. Sammy Guevara was tremendous and an example of what AEW could be without the sporadic booking or middle school drama behind the scenes. This was two quality young talents that had a TV main event that can give viewers a reason to tune into Dynamite as an alternative to WWE. Granted, I don't have much faith that Tony Khan can realistically juggle this angle with four talents to a logical conclusion at the next pay-per-view, but as far as this specific episode of Dynamite, the Sammy/Jungle Boy bout gave the fans their money's worth.

After Dynamite, matches were taped for Rampage including, the opener of Jon Moxley vs. Christopher Daniels. A hilarious side note, at one point, a very intoxicated fan that was sitting near the rail of the entrance way decided to stumble around to the other side of the seating section and lean over the guard rail to attempt to fist bump Moxley mid-match. This fellow must've enjoyed too many Bud Light beverages, as the guy wearing what appeared to be cameo pants with leaves attached to them, seemed oblivious to the national television taping that was being filmed when he reached over the rail. The guy was also oblivious to the fact that several security guards were surrounding him to escort him out of the venue as soon as the match concluded. After he was told to hit the bricks, he attempted to fist bump each of the police officers that were showing him to the door. A security guard that resembled Mike Ehrmantraut from Breaking Bad wasn't impressed and didn't acknowledge the hand gesture as the impaired patron staggered toward the exit. Of course, on his way out of the arena, the local yokel tried to get the crowd to cheer his accomplishment of being kicked out after he bought the very expensive floor seats. The Rampage main event was Vikingo vs. Dralistico and while the high spots were insane, there was definitely a disconnect with the audience. Dralistico was aligned with the heel faction with Rush, but attempted to work the crowd like a baby face to garner a very minimal reaction. This bout didn't have the "glue" that made the Jay White/Komander match work earlier in the night.

As I waited outside the venue for Pat to get the car, I saw a few more faces from Ryse Wrestling. Cowpoke Paul, a youngster with a lot of potential and impressive skills in the ring, and Meighan Nelson, my broadcast colleague at an event last week, stopped to say hello. After some traffic on the way home, I made it back at about 12:30 AM. Maclaughlin returned to his house in time to take the garbage out for pick up, a booking decision made by the boss of the house, Mrs. Mac, and it concluded what was a fun night of live AEW action.

Jeff Hardy returns

Last week on Dynamite, former WWE and TNA champion, Jeff Hardy returned to AEW. Hardy, 44, had been away from the promotion since last year after he was arrested for DUI following a concert performance with his band. Unfortunately, the DUI arrest in 2022 was just the most recent incident of substance issues that has plagued the stellar athlete for the majority of his career. Sadly, the laundry list of incidents that involve substance abuse for Jeff Hardy are too length to discuss again. Still, the overwhelming takeaway from his most recent run-in with the law was that it seemed very clear that Jeff Hardy can’t work a regular wrestling schedule and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Keep in mind, Jeff was on the AEW roster for just a few months and took several risks, including a nasty bump on the steel steps during a match with Darby Allim before he was arrested for DUI. Don’t get me wrong, with as popular as Jeff Hardy is, and the perceived value of a final Hardy Boys reunion before either of them hang up their boots, I can understand why Tony Khan signed Jeff to a deal when he landed on the free agent market, but the experiment didn’t yield fruitful results. If anything, it proved that Jeff Hardy might be too much of a liability for AEW. 

Again, don’t get me wrong, you always hear positive things about the real-life Jeff Hardy, and he probably is a great guy, but that doesn't cover for the absolutely awful personal decisions he made. The bottom line is, there's no excuse to drive intoxicated because at that point, Hardy's substance choices don't just affect him, it quite literally put other people's lives at risk. The worse part was that Hardy's license was suspended because of a previous incident so he wasn't even legally allowed to drive under any circumstances.

So, what does this mean for Jeff Hardy and AEW?

Quite frankly, I don't think that Jeff Hardy in 2023 is worth the risk for either the company or himself. That's not to say that he didn't have a successful career or cement himself as a legend of his generation that inspired an entire group of performers that pursued the sport, but rather to point out the reality of the situation. Many of Jeff's struggles with substances were associated with his time in pro wrestling, including the infamous Victory Road incident in TNA in 2011. Is traveling and taking bumps worth the potential downside? More specifically, does AEW truly need Jeff Hardy on the roster? Jeff is an established star and certainly has name value, but does he move the needle?

The roster is so bloated that at this point, even another Hardy Boys reunion, which was the premise of Jeff's return when he made the save for Matt, isn't exactly a ground-breaking concept. We've seen the duo reform their team in WWE,TNA, and ROH so some of an AEW stint as a team would be a "been there, done that" portion of the product. You have to give Matt Hardy credit for his longevity, and I'm sure he's happy to show up to collect the paycheck, but given that he's involved in a rather lukewarm angle with The Firm, he's not booked in a spot of major importance on the shows. Granted, Matt's knowledge would continue to be a valuable tool behind-the-scenes so it's not as though he shouldn't be on the payroll, but rather that his on-screen impact is minimal. This all comes down to the rather limited upside of Jeff Hardy back in the ring and why it's probably not worth the risk. That's not a knock on Jeff, but to highlight that it would be much better for Jeff Hardy to retire to a healthy life outside of the ring than to have the temptations of the road in front of him to be able to work matches on Rampage or the Youtube shows.

Sure, it's possible that Jeff's comeback leads to a successful stint that could provide a positive conclusion to his career. However, there are a number of factors and pieces of the puzzle that would have to fit into place for that to happen, and given the sporadic nature of the current All Elite product, the odds would be against that. Most importantly, Jeff Hardy would have to maintain a healthy lifestyle and stay away from any substances while being on the road for the company. Hardy went to rehab during his hiatus from the organization so he has a fresh start. If Matt and Jeff are back in the mix of the tag team division, an aspect of the product that was jump started with FTR's recent title victory, it would take a series of stellar matches on their part, along with consistent and meaningful booking from Tony Khan on the shows to allow this to be a productive chapter of their careers. Again, some of this is a been there, done that so if the Hardys simply play the greatest hits, I'm not sure it will stand out among the crowded AEW landscape. If Matt and Jeff still have enough left in the tank and they are booked consistently, it could rejuvenate their careers for a final major run, similar to the way that Goldust made many people take notice when he returned to the WWE several years ago.

That being said, given The Hardys' age and the circumstances around Jeff's absence, there's not much middle ground for how to gauge success for this chapter of their careers. If the ceiling for this run is a forgettable feud on Rampage with The Firm than the Hardys can coast on their reputation because that angle isn't going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. On the flip side, if Matt and Jeff can showcase their skills in competitive matches against team like FTR, The Lucha Brothers, and The House of Black then there's a chance that it would be a productive run in the company.

The WWE draft

The WWE brand split has never worked.

In the post-WCW landscape, Vince McMahon took swift action with his new acquisition of the Turner organization and made sure that the legitimate dream match scenario for a true Super Bowl of wrestling was reduced to a one-sided angle that went about six months before the competition was completely beaten into powder in 2001. At the time, the office had a genuinely puzzling situation, how could they showcase the dozens of new faces to WWE television after the purchase of WCW and the collapse of ECW? In theory, a brand spit in 2002, the time period when the concept was first attempted, made sense because instead of Steve Austin or The Rock being used for multiple segments a week on both Raw and Smackdown, the brand extension put The Rock's TV time on Smackdown, which allowed space for newer talent to be showcased on Raw.

However, it was a concept that made sense in theory, but failed in application.

The reasons for that are numerous, but the biggest reason is rather easy to cite. By nature, pro wrestling is simple. The genre, much like the dynamics of society, is based on human nature and thus the conflicts from it. The real world has good guys and bad guys, and they clash in pursuit of money, fame, or a personal grudge. The two wrestlers have a conflict and will settle it in the ring. It might sound simplistic, but when you peel away the layers of the sports entertainment onion, a presentation that dresses up the action with the over-the-top spectacle of pyro and state-of-the-art video production, the foundation of the industry is built on a simple narrative of conflict.

The concept of a brand extension is too convoluted to gel with those building blocks of the sport. Keep in mind, the WWE, which was just valued at $9.3 billion for the UFC merger, is marketed toward the general public since that attempts to draw from the biggest possible target audience. The purists might rightful scoff at it, but management often uses the lowest common denominator with the presentation of its product because the casual fan can still identify with that narrative. Part of the reason Braun Strowman was brought back to the company after he attempted to control his narrative is that he's a big man that can move, and Vince built his territory on big guys as far back as the 80s.

A prime example of a fundamental aspect of the brand split goes against the grain of that simplistic approach is, a causal viewer might ask a diehard fan, "who's the champion?" and then the regular viewer has to explain that there are technically two world champions. It's not the biggest hurdle, but it's enough for the general public to get the impression that the product might be too intricate for them to follow on a sporadic basis. Again, the casual fan doesn't meticulously follow the details or necessarily make it a habit to tune in every week. If the NFL or the NBA had an important game, Raw is getting bumped from the line-up. Sure, there's DVR, but you have to ask, when you take into account how much content from how many platforms are available to consumers, is the semi-regular viewer that didn't have wrestling as a priority when it aired live really going to watch the episodes that are stock piled on their DVR? There's a reason that most systems have 83 episodes of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives or 45 editions of Pawn Stars that viewers didn't get a chance to watch yet. The casual fan just wants to know who the featured performer is because it gives them an indication of who the central character on the show is going to be if they tune in. In 1998, the answer was often Steve Austin, and today it's Roman Reigns.

Aside from being too convoluted for the average viewer, the more in-depth side of the pitfalls of the brand extension is that it can often spread the talent too thin and affect the dynamics of the characters on the brand. Granted, the office tries to evenly distribute talent to each side to prevent either brand from looking like the "B-show" but as we've seen before injuries can cause a major rift in plans when there's an entire roster available so that problem would be magnified with a brand split. It might be a harsh reality, but when you take the WWE's emphasis on nostalgia the past several years and the sluggish ratings for the current product into account, while the roster has a tremendous amount of talent, it has a limited quantity of star power. The reasons for that are a different discussion for a different time, but the point being, Steve Austin was brought out of retirement last year to sell more tickets for the stadium show when the current roster couldn't move the tickets in Dallas. Furthermore, the exclusivity of the rosters limits potential feuds on each show so at some point, the angles become recycled, The "exclusive" pay-per-views from the early era brand split in 2003-2004 aren't exactly the easiest viewing experiences, especially in retrospect. The same could be said for the more recent attempt of that concept in 2016, particularly Jinder Mahal's WWE title run the following year that was forgotten by the time he was back on Main Event, the C-show that is taped before Raw, in 2018.

Finally, the fact that the brand extension hasn't ever stayed exclusive for all of the reasons previously mentioned prevented the concept from truly getting off the ground. Management can't promote that you can "only see Kevin Owens on Raw" when eventually KO and essentially anyone else that is needed for an angle of any importance appears on both shows anyway. There aren't "Raw fans" and "Smackdown fans" so trying to promote that notion, which is what the office did for the original brand split, is silly. The fans know that the same company owns everything so the angle of "competition" between Raw and Smackdown won't get over.

When the draft takes place or how strict the exclusive aspect will be used remains to be seen, but the odds say that the next brand extension won't work, simply because the concept hasn't worked in the past two decades.

Billy Gunn signing

Over thirty years ago, Billy Gunn laced up his boots to join the ranks of professional wrestling, and while the over-the-top world of sports entertainment is known as an unconventional line of work, even he probably couldn’t have predicted where the squared circle would take him. Within the span of those three decades since Gunn turned pro, his run in the sport transcended different era, personas, and promotions.

His first big break was alongside his “brother” Bart in the early 90s of the WWF as the duo The Smoking Gunns. Granted, that time period is known for its cartoonish presentation that helped soften the image of the organization during a rocky stint, but the rodeo tag team, complete with prop pistols to live up to their name, The Smoking Gunns were a memorable pair of that era. In a rather complete contrast, the Billy Gunn that joined his future Hall of Fame partner, Road Dogg to form the New Age Outlaws as a part of DX, was brash, intense, and could work the crowd into a frenzy when the Outlaws grabbed the mic for their usual pre-match promos. As a part of one of the most memorable factions at one of the most memorable times in the history of the industry, the legacy of Billy Gunn, which was later enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019, was cemented in the Attitude Era. Specifically, his win at King of the ring in 1999 put him in the same conversation as many of the major singles stars of the era as well, in addition to his tag team success previously. 

Despite the stark differences between The Smoking Gunns and The Outlaws, the common thread was that Billy could go in the ring bell to bell with remarkable athleticism for someone his size. In the years that forward the Monday night wars, which saw the collapse of both WCW and ECW, Billy Gunn remained a fixture on the WWE roster, even at a time when the rosters were flooded with talent with TV experience from the other two defunct organizations. After a memorable stint alongside Chuck Polumbo, which ironically culminated in a wrestling wedding that ended in a three-minute warning that fans are still talking about today, Gunn eventually moved on to a four-year stint with TNA. Of course, the time away set the stage For a return to WWE in 2012, when Billy worked as a coach at the Performance Center, as well as had a reunion with his former sidekick, Road Dogg.

When Tony Khan launched All Elite wrestling in 2019, Billy was signed as one of the coaches, not only for his lengthy résumé of accomplishments, but also for his mind for the business. It wasn’t until more recent years, with his sons Austin and Colton, emerging as an entertaining second generation act that Billy also added yet another chapter to his own career. A tremendously entertaining trio was formed when Gunn was paired with The Acclaimed.  The DX chop was replaced with the scissor gesture, but Billy still knew how to work the audience into a frenzy, even after 30 years in the sport..

With AEW’s return to Pittsburgh next week for a Dynamite taping at the Petersen Events Center, the venue that hosts Pitt Panthers basketball, fans in the steel city eagerly anticipate the chance to see the AEW crew live in the building.

That’s why Gary Boughter and his partner Jason, owner of Body Structures Fitness, a facility just outside of the city in New Castle, are thrilled to bring Billy Gunn into the training center for a very special meet and greet opportunity while he will be in town on Tuesday, April 18, the day prior to the Dynamite taping.

"Billy will be there working out before the meet and greet so he was excited to do it at a gym. We will be having the pictures and autograph in a real boxing ring that we have in the back of the gym so fans will have the opportunity to be in the ring with Billy," Boughter explained.

Gary has already received good feedback from those that plan to attend, and is just as excited as the fans that will lineup on Tuesday. Being an entrepreneur, Boughter hopes that the success of this Billy Gunn signing will lead to a more regular schedule of guest at the Body Structures training facility, a fitness center that has been a stable of New Castle, Pennsylvania for a decade.

"We had our first meet and greet with Shane Douglas last May and it was a great time so we really wanted to do another one. I chose Billy because I’ve been a fan since his Smoking Gunn days, and he has an amazing career that is still going strong today in AEW with The Acclaimed," Gary said.

At 59 years old, Billy Gunn is still in incredible shape, and despite the busy schedule of traveling, he looks to get some reps in prior to the meet and greet with the fans. Considering the unique opportunity to share the ring for a photo op with not only an attitude Era legend, but also a contemporary AEW star the stage is set for a fun time for the fans while all elite wrestling stops in Pittsburgh next week.

The WWE sale

Professional wrestling is very ironic.

After months of speculation, it was announced earlier this week that Endeavor, the massive conglomerate of media properties and the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, bought the controlling-interest in World Wrestling Entertainment, merging it with the UFC to form a newly-created organization that will be publicly-traded after all the formalities are completed. Just a few months ago, Endeavor CEO, Ari Emanuel mentioned during a conference call that the WWE was an accomplished organization, but that his group wouldn't be interested in the acquisition of more debt. Considering that 51% of the WWE was purchased, it's possible that the terms of the deal allowed for the ownership of stock rather than a direct cash payment, which could've been the aspect that made the deal possible. Initial speculation valued the WWE brand at around $6 billion, and when news that Vince increased his asking price to $9 billion, as I wrote at the time, I thought it might've been a way to realistically eliminate the few logical buyers that might be in the market for the sports entertainment company. When Emanuel seemingly took Endeavor outside of the sale conversation, Comcast was probably the only other logical buyer, mostly because the NBC corporation already pays such hefty rights fees for the Raw brand on USA and the WWE Network on Peacock.

Say what you want about Vince, and he deserves a lot of the criticism, but as outlandish as his price tag sounded, the news of the merger brought WWE to a value of $9.3 billion so when that's combined with the UFC's market value of $12 billion, the sports powerhouse merger will be worth over $21 billion.

Still, it's difficult to believe that for the first time in its existence, there technically won't be McMahon ownership of the WWE company, an organization that spans as far back as the events promoted by Vince Sr. under Capital Sports, and before that Jesse McMahon's boxing cards that started the family's promotional ventures. That being said, it's not going to be all that different in terms of the structure or presentation of the current WWE product. The scandal that sent Vince into a brief "retirement" is more or less moot at this point. As sleazy as it was, Vince paid off his accusers and reimbursed WWE for the costs of those payoffs, as well as the investigation that was launched last year after the accusations surfaced. With that many accusations, clearly there was some level of misconduct, and the payoffs don't clear him of the sleazy behavior, but the point being, this merger will put Vince back into the same position he was in before the "retirement." It's not ethical, but money taking priority over ethics isn't anything new in pro wrestling or any other major business.

In many ways, Vince gave up just enough ownership to get paid because despite the sale of the majority interest, he will still own the most stock on the WWE side of the new venture. Plus, and this was probably a determining factor in the deal, Vince will run WWE the same way he did before the misconduct scandal. McMahon maneuvered a way to get back into power and get paid in the process. It remains to be seen if the WWE Board of Directors, the same group that originally dismissed Vince's request to return to the company late last year, will existent when the merger is complete.

As far as the impact on the WWE landscape that this merger will have, the on-screen difference will be minimal, if there are any changes at all. Keep in mind, Endeavor owns several different media properties in an effort to diversify and maximize the revenue streams. Despite some of the common ground of WWE and UFC, this isn't a crossover. Quite frankly,  Ari Emanuel is too smart to tamper with a formula that works so it will more or less be business as usual for the WWE. Similar to the way that McMahon packaged and marketed pro wrestling as sports entertainment, Endeavor continued to present the UFC as a part of the traditional sports line-up as a way to make it a part of the fabric of the sports world, specifically with the ESPN deal that gave the network incentives to promote the MMA brand as much as possible on its channels. Basically, the WWE and UFC will continue to run as their own entities. Vince will probably outlive us all, but this deal cements the fact that he will run WWE until he does the job to the grim reaper. Despite some of the rightful criticism from long time fans, from purely a corporate perspective, WWE will remain secure and profitable. If or when the management changes hands to someone outside of the McMahon family, it won't be any time during the current era.

So, what impact does the merger have on the WWE?

The dynamics of the television industry, specifically the demand for live programming to avoid DVR viewing and thus maximize ad revenue that allowed WWE to land such mega TV contracts, have shifted. Granted, live programming is still considered a premium commodity, but ad rates aren't quite as good as networks would've hoped with the increasing amount of streaming content available to consumers. Furthermore, and this is possibly the biggest reasons for the change in the TV climate for WWE, those big money deals were inked before the pandemic, and as we know, the product hit a slump without a live audience for the bulk of the pandemic era. Despite the guaranteed money that the TV deals provide, the ratings just haven't been where they have to be for it to make economic sense for the networks. While it's a major win for the WWE because they get paid regardless of the ratings, Fox has reportedly lost money on the Smackdown deal.

The company will be set to negotiate new TV contracts relatively soon with the current deals set to expire in late-2024 and based on the WWE numbers, at least prior to the Endeavor purchase, the sports entertainment group would have to take a pay cut for the broadcast rights fees. Since the TV money is not only the biggest revenue stream for WWE, but also the reason they touted record-setting profits in recent years, a decrease in TV cash could be a major dent in the company's value. In some ways, there's a domino effect with the television contracts because a decrease in that money would decrease the stock price.

Obviously, Vince knew that, and this merger more or less eliminates any major threat to the stock price or the value to the company because if the WWE money takes a dip at any point, the UFC is under the same banner and can cover the difference. Keep in mind, this is a WWE/UFC corporate merger, the other Endeavor proprieties are still their own entities. Endeavor has enough entertainment muscle, especially with the combination of WWE and UFC programming, to still secure solid rights fees for the WWE shows. It goes without saying, this isn't a crossover and that would completely flop anyway so you won't see Conor McGregor jump into the ring, but it theoretically opens the door for WWE to be a part of any of the Endeavor avenues in terms of distribution. Maybe Smackdown ends up on ESPN? Maybe the WWE Network will eventually be moved to ESPN+ since the UFC already has a deal with that streaming service? More than anything, there's such a major promotional push tied to all of this because you will undoubtedly see commercials for WWE pay-per-views on UFC broadcasts and then ads for upcoming UFC events on WWE programming. As much as Endeavor worked to make UFC as much a part of the traditional sports conversation as possible, the WWE can be brought along in a similar fashion, even if it doesn't generate the same numbers. This opens the door to more contemporary exposure for the WWE, which allows more growth of the brand. And, it's not a one-way street either, as Endeavor tremendously diversifies its sports properties with this purchase. For example, MMA is usually the 18-34 year old demographic, and as talented as the athletes are, there are some people that just don't want to watch some of the more brutal aspects of the sport. The merger more or less covers every demographic because the WWE product still skews toward a younger and older fan base as opposed to the typical UFC demographic. The international reach is another huge benefit for both brands. Under Endeavor, the Ultimate Fighting Championship made more of an international footprint, but there are some markets that aren't as receptive to the more violent aspects of the genre. For example, India isn't a big market for the UFC, but has a massive following for pro wrestling so the WWE will be a platform that Endeavor can use to generate revenue from the Indian market. On the flip side, pro wrestling hasn't been a major draw in China yet, but the UFC has made some progress there with stellar stars like Zhang Weili. It's a win-win for Endeavor because it's a revenue stream regardless of what brand generates it.

However, the most ironic part of all of this is that the surge in popularity in the early-2000s that ultimately led to Endeavors purchase of UFC  in 2016 is that the MMA group more or less used a pro wrestling philosophy to finally promote its stars to a main stream audience. At a time when WWE won the wrestling war of the 90s and was more focused on trying to become strictly an entertainment commodity with B-movies from WWE studios, Zuffa gave its fighters a chance to introduce themselves to the audience. Granted, it wasn't scripted, but the success of the Ultimate Fighter reality show was based on the fact that the fighters were allowed to introduce their "character" as a person to television viewers. They weren't just random names with gloves and shorts in the cage. The fans got to know their background and who they were as people outside of the octagon. Chuck Liddell was the cool KO artist, Randy Couture was the honorable aging legend, Tito Ortiz was the arrogant villain, and Forrest Griffin was the gritty Rocky character that had enough heart to win the finals. It was textbook pro wrestling promotion, even if it was based on their real-life personas. When Art Davie was looking to sale the MMA product because he couldn't get clearance on pay-per-view and the sport was still banned in many states in 2001, Shane McMahon actually suggested that the WWE buy it. Fast forward a few decades and the argument could be made that the UFC did pro wrestling better than the WWE in the modern era and that was what set the stage for the WWE sale.

What's the status of AEW?

The All Elite Wrestling house of cards might be ready to collapse.

Former WWE and AEW world champion, Jon Moxley made headlines on social media last week when "The Sessions" with Renee Paquette podcast was posted online, and he took the time to address CM Punk's recent Instagram rant. As we know, Punk claimed that Moxley originally refused to lose to him before he lashed out at Chris Jericho and The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer.

Moxley, who usually doesn't use social media too often and rarely discusses his backstage dealings, provided his side of the story, revealing some very interesting details about the structure or lack thereof in AEW. Interestingly, the 37-year-old grappler explained that he wasn't actually under contract for the majority of his most recent stint as AEW world champion, an audible that was called after CM Punk suffered a foot injury that required surgery last May. So yes, Tony Khan booked someone to win the title that wasn't actually under contract, and in my view, that is one of the biggest indications of the flaws that he has as a promoter. Don't get me wrong, I've said it before and I will say it again, you have to credit Tony Khan for being willing to fund a pro wrestling project when he didn't have to, and even with some of the blunders of the organization, the existence of All Elite continues to benefit the industry. That being said, criticisms of Tony Khan being a "money mark" or a naive promoter that the sharks of the industry look to bleed for as much money as possible seem to be validated when stuff like this surfaces. On the podcast, Moxley mentioned that he worked a match against Desperado at a New Japan show Summer Slam weekend last August and since he didn't have an All Elite contract, he could've theoretically walked into Summer Slam with the AEW world championship. Take that into account, legally, Moxley could've signed a deal with WWE at any point during his most recent tenure as AEW champion. Nothing, other than Moxley's word, would've prevented that from happening during his reign.

Granted, Moxley is a throwback in the pro wrestling business. He's definitely a smart businessman that will maximize his earnings, but at the same time, he's not a guy that shills endless merchandise on social media or edits a weekly vlog to get popular on Youtube. Obviously, he made great money and obtained financial security as a sports entertainer, but his mindset is that of a pro wrestler. I'm sure he makes good money for it, but Moxley didn't opt to work the indies as AEW champion because he needed the extra cash to pay the mortgage. He's a guy that knows that business being done right is what allows those in the industry to make as much money as possible. Hypothetically, if he made the jump to WWE with the belt, it would've damaged the perception of All Elite and in the long run would've given him less negotiating power if alternatives to WWE are viewed as secondary career paths. So, Moxley was smart enough to know that he shouldn't take the short-end money to jump to WWE, but how did Tony Khan know that? Did Khan assume since he's "friends" with most of the roster that Moxley would put AEW first? Did Lex Luger put his WWF career first when he jumped to Nitro in 1995 when he didn't have a contract? Clearly, Tony Khan was a fan of the Monday night wars so maybe he should take a few lessons from that era.

Sure, the roster will be "friends" with Tony Khan as long as he's paying them good money. Tony trying to be friends with the talent instead of their boss is why 2022 was  known more for the chaos behind the curtain than the action in the ring. When Tony wants to hug everyone and gloat with softball questions from wannabee reporters from websites you've never heard of at the media scrums, it certainly appears that All Elite Wrestling might be a vanity project instead of a serious business venture. Does that mean that AEW is going to fold? No, but when a company plateaus, and AEW certainly has, the impact it has on the industry can erode. The novelty of the new promotion got the organization off to an optimistic start, particularly when Chris Jericho, who already had a legacy established in the sport, decided to sign a deal with the group. If Jericho was willing to be associated, it created the perception that the company had a chance to get off the ground because someone of his statue wouldn't risk being involved with  a venture that could flop.

However, the more the novelty wore off, the more that Tony's inexperience as a promoter was revealed. Pro wrestling is an ego-driven business, and while the "team effort" narrative was nice when the company launched, the harsh reality of the industry still has a much bigger role in any organization. Isn't it convenient that FTR were shipped off to ROH purgatory for pay-per-view bouts while The Young Bucks were promoted as a part of the trios champions? Did Jericho really have to beat Eddie Kingston in that barbed wire match? He's probably a great guy, but does anyone honestly want to see QT Marshal on television?

The point being, despite the initial "team effort" that was touted, All Elite Wrestling is as political as any other wrestling organization. Cody's exit right before most the backstage chaos went public will be a key point in the history of AEW when the early years of the organization are discussed. As far as the backstage turmoil, Moxley also said that AEW has more backstage drama than anywhere else he worked in his career, which speaks volumes to the lack of structure in the company. When one of the top stars makes that type of statement, it doesn't create a sense of optimism for the future.In fact, as much as AEW was seen as an alternative for talent that were bogged down in the WWE system, Moxley's comments might have some of his peers reconsider WWE as a potential option in the future, especially after the UFC merger was announced.

Unfortunately, All Elite Wrestling might be one more incident away from cementing the notion that it's Tony Khan's vanity project, not a true competitor in the industry. If the house of cards collapses, the group might become typecast as secondary, similar to the perception of TNA for many years during the Dixie Carter regime. Granted, AEW can exist as long as Tony wants to continue to sign the checks because the Khan family has a few billion dollars, but if the organization plateaus, there's a difference between simply being in existence as opposed to the progress that can be made to further establish a company.

Wrestlemania 39 night two review

The second night of Wrestlemania 39 is in the books, and as mentioned, I waited to write both reviews until the weekend was finished to be able to put the events into proper context, especially because of how the overall story of the organization unfolded over two nights. If you haven't yet, please check out the review I wrote about night one, as it will make some references to the results of night two as well.

Brock Lesnar and Omos opened the show, and more than anything, I think this must be an indication that the office has done more or less all they can do with Lesnar. They pushed him so strong for so long that despite a few more years potentially in the ring, everything would be a recycled concept for him at this point. Brock was only showcased as a main event guy for years, and while I get that management wants a big start to the show, it was somewhat odd to see Brock in the opening match. The bout itself was probably as good as it could've been, but that was a rather low bar. Omos is such a presence, but similar to other giants that are tall even for the category of giants, there's sometimes the hurdle of limited mobility. Omos isn't going to exchange arm drags with opponents, not because he's not athletic, but rather because he's so tall that it's just not physically practical. Brock made Omos look great as far as selling his offense, but the finish more or less shatters any mystique that Omos had. Keep in mind, and this is the most important factor, because of his limited in-ring skills, Omos hasn't really had a stand out moment where he became a solidified star because more often than not, he was a background figure, similar to his role when he teamed with AJ Styles. If management truly saw something in Omos as a potential legitimate star for the company, the right call would've been to have him beat Lesnar. This is meant as a compliment, Brock could lose every match for the rest of his career and he would still be just as over as he is now. He's bullet proof so a loss to Omos wouldn't diminish his status. On the flip side, if Omos is just on the roster because he's tall, which is what his defeat implies since it was a contest that gave Brock someone to beat without a major angle, then he has a very limited path in the company. This might be too harsh, but at this point, they should just release Omos because they aren't going to make him a star after such a high profile defeat.

The women's four way tag match only accomplished two things. It shoehorned more talent on the card, and if that gets them all a WM pay day then good for them. Secondly, it allowed Ronda Rousey to get a win so she doesn't continue to complain on social media when she doesn't get enough spotlight. As I wrote in an article last week, the Ronda Rousey experiment had its run and the novelty wore off. She is average at best in the ring and on the mic so there's not much for her to do other than mid-card angles. The match itself was a cluster, and I don't think the quality of the show would've been affected if it wasn't booked on the card.

Thankfully, the IC title bout picked up the presentation of the event and it was a brutal bout that showcased all three competitors. Usually, triple threat matches can be very clunky, but the physical nature of this contest made it work and it was an example of how much talent is truly on the roster when they aren't bogged down with lame scripting or counterproductive booking. The only criticism, if any, would be that the finish was telegraphed because Gunther disappeared so long before the conclusion of the segment. Speaking of Gunther, he's such a top notch talent that I think he should break the record for the longest IC title reign. Sorry, Honky Tonk Man.

The Raw Women's title match was an example of why the female division is still probably the best aspect of WWE programming. The entrances were very well done and gave the segment a major atmosphere. The young ladies that did the gymnastics routine for Bianca's introduction did a wonderful job and their outfits to match Belair was a nice moment. Talent is talent, regardless of background, origin, or ethnicity. Bianca and Asuka proved how much talent they have in this back and fourth bout. It was a match where you really didn't have an indication of who could win before the bell so there was an added layer of drama during the sequences. This was a really solid title match, and I'd say that Bianca retaining was the right call to continue the extended reign. The reason being is actually a compliment to Asuka, as she's truly one of the MVPs of the entire company and doesn't need a belt after all the championship success she already had. Bianca can continue with the reign to continue to build her star power.

The Snoop Dogg and Miz segment was going to be used for the exact same purpose as night one, and that was to pace the card, which is completely fine. I'm just guessing, but when Shane McMahon was introduced, I was wondering if his appearance had anything to do with the rumors that the announcement of a sale is imminent. Perhaps, Shane wanted one more moment at WM before the company leaves the McMahon empire? Unfortunately, he suffered a terrible knee injury during a leap frog just moments into the contest and that type of non-contact injury is often associated with an ACL tear. Amazingly, Snoop somehow called an audible and seamlessly took over before he pinned The Miz for the three count. Snoop's involvement was fun, but I hope Shane McMahon recovers from the injury.

The HIAC match was fine for what it was, but the two biggest hurdles for this segment were that I'm not sure the Edge/Finn feud really had enough steam left to justify the gimmick match. Keep in mind, when Edge was originally exiled from The Judgment Day, the entire stable was thought to be dead in the water. Truthfully, from strictly a storyline perspective, Dominik and Rhea Ripley were the performers that saved the faction. Their progress is what gave the group a purpose. As we saw with the Mysterios match on night one, Dominik as a character made progress and had a meaningful angle that he made the most of with generating legitimate heat from the audience. Ripley's win against Charlotte speaks to her ability and potential to be a major star for the company. Edge and Finn had pay-per-view matches before, but the premise of Edge being kicked out of the stable was flimsy to begin with so other than getting them both on the card for Wrestlemania, this feud already peaked a few months ago. Aside from the diminishing momentum of the rivalry, the fact that a cell match was stopped for blood when Balor was able to continue is somewhat ridiculous. As I've said before, if the office doesn't want performers to cut themselves to bleed then that's perfectly understandable, even if it goes against some of the traditional mindset, particularly with the thought that blading is an easy way to bleed if it's done correctly. That being said, if a performer gets cut the hard way and they aren't in any danger then the attempts to stop the blood are ludicrous. Either Finn was able to continue or he wasn't, By nature, pro wrestling is selling violence in some form or fashion, if the occasional hard way blood is too much for the publicly traded organization then maybe they shouldn't book gimmick matches where it's possible that a hard way cut could happen. The stoppage really affected the momentum so this bout didn't really get into second gear. Edge got the victory so hopefully, this is the conclusion of the feud.

The main event will probably be a topic of discussion for several months. Instead of trying to over analyze the results, I will attempt to put it as plainly as possible. It was definitely a high quality main event, both Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns showed why they were booked in that spot. However, quite frankly, I think the decision to have Roman beat Cody was absolutely the wrong call and it did serious damage to Cody's chances of success as a top star in the future. Cody should've won, it might've been the obvious decision, but sometimes it's still the right decision.

Cody Rhodes was brought back with a major introduction and he proclaimed he was going to win the title for his late father, Dusty Rhodes. Unless he was going to win the title at Wrestlemania, he should've never cut that promo and the office shouldn't have booked it unless they knew for sure a win for the championship at WM was the official plan. Even the gruesome pec injury added to the narrative that Cody wouldn't give up and was destined to win the title. The story of Cody winning the title in memory of his dad writes itself, it's a classic moment that the audience can enjoy. When Cody lost, it tells the audience that he's not the top guy they thought he might be, and even the legacy of his dad wasn't enough for him to win the championship. Quite simply, there was no way for it not to be a complete and total letdown when he was pinned. An entire stadium was disappointed and it was such a letdown that it's how the fans can lose faith that Cody can win the belt. Once the fans lose faith, even an eventual win isn't as big as it could've been otherwise. There are certain circumstances where there's a specific time frame to maximize success, and in this case, the WWE missed the boat on Cody Rhodes. For example, WM 14 was the time for Stone Cold to win the championship, would he have the legacy he has today if the office didn't run with him at the right time? The history of the industry shows that organic scenarios yield the best results, and this was the time for Cody to finally win the WWE title. What's so puzzling about all of this is that Roman Reigns had his major run as the undefeated champion that the office wanted to force for several years so what else is there to accomplish? After almost three years as the dominate champion, WM would've been the place for the defeat to finally happen. If management plans to keep the title on Roman for a potentially storyline with The Rock, it's a completely misguided strategy. The Rock vs. Roman doesn't need the belt, and The Rock would make a one-off appearance. Cody winning would've solidified a full-time baby face champion that could've drawn money for the company on a more regular basis.

At this point, I don't see how any other stage in any other scenario would've been a bigger payoff for Cody than winning the title for Dusty at Wrestlemania. If the company was going to run with him, this would've been the time to to do. Cody lost and the majority of the audience is disappointed, how deflating is that? Where does Cody go from here? A mid-card feud cements the notion that he's not a top guy, and an immediate rematch wouldn't have the same impact as a WM win so I don't see the upside to the defeat on the major platform. As far as Roman, he already beat all of the credible challengers so I don't know where he goes from here either. The night two event of WM was very solid, but unfortunately, it will be known as the WM that had Cody Rhodes' disappointing defeat in the main event.

Wrestlemania 39 night one review

Wrestlemania 39 concluded after two stadium shows in Los Angeles, and more than anything, despite any criticism or even sluggish ratings, it speaks volumes to the WWE's drawing power as an entertainment commodity that the organization can draw 75,000 fans on two different nights. Considering that the totality of WM 39 was nearly eight hours of wrestling within two events, I decided to wait until the conclusion of both shows to write the reviews so please make sure to check out the review of night two as well. Each show was given its own review to avoid any specific article from being too lengthy and to allow for the proper context with how the results of both nights impacted the overall presentation.

The show started with Austin Theory defending the US title against John Cena, and other than adding Cena's notable star power to the card, I'm not sure this bout served much of a purpose. This was definitely a very basic and very safe TV match that was designed to get Cena in the ring to put over the younger guy without the risk of injury that could jeopardize his movie schedule. From strictly a business perspective, it makes sense, as it gives the WWE the chance to advertise John Cena on another WM card, and it allows Cena the assurance that he won't risk millions of dollars from movies if he gets hurt doing a one-off match. That said, unless Cena can realistically go full speed, was it worth booking him in this spot? The tickets were already sold before he was announced for the match and the buyrates are irrelevant because of the Peacock deal. Those that have already claimed that Cena "passed the torch" are misguided and that notion is almost laughable. Yes, John Cena put Theory over, but there's a major difference between a star making performance and simply being willing to do the job. Ric Flair made Sting, Cena didn't make Theory, which isn't a knock on either of them, but rather to point out that you can't realistically expect to propel someone's career with a basic 10-minute opening match. As I've said before, I don't see the hype about Theory, and this match didn't do anything to change that view point.

The four-way tag team match was all action and very entertaining. It proved just how much in-ring talent is currently on the roster and the structure of the contest showcased each team very well. The problem is that the tag team division as a whole was treated as secondary for so long that you know that even this stellar performance from everyone involved won't make the tag division more of a priority to the office. In a vacuum, the fans saw how talented these guys are, but given the status of the tag division, The Street Profits victory is moot in the grand scheme of things.

Seth Rollins vs. Logan Paul proved a few things. Most importantly, Seth Rollins is a much better performer than the character he was given, Logan Paul is a good athlete, and Paul's involvement will have a minimal impact on the WWE business. This isn't a jab at Rollins, but rather the scripting of the product, what exactly is his character? His theme song is over, but I think the argument could be made that his character isn't. The fans enjoy singing the song, but who is the character of Seth Rollins? Is he The Joker? Is he an eccentric guy that wears comically big boots? What's the point? I understand Logan Paul's involvement for the theoretically pop culture tie-in, but the ratings on Raw didn't increase when he was booked for the show. WWE didn't suddenly become more a part of the pop culture conversation because of Paul involvement so it's possible that his fan base just aren't the demographic that would watch pro wrestling, which makes you wonder if it's worth it to book him against a competitor the caliber of Seth Rollins on such a major event. Granted, Rollins made Paul look good, but maybe Seth Rollins could've been booked for something more productive than a rather short rivalry against the part-time Youtuber?

The six women tag match was very good, and similar to Smackdown Women's title match later on the card, as well as the Bianca/Asuka bout on night two, it proved just how much depth is in the women's division. Trish and Lita looked like they didn't miss a step and were still very sharp in the ring. This was a return to the ring, but it wasn't a nostalgia act for either of them. Trish and Lita were there to work an angle that was over with the audience, not just to play the greatest hits. Damage Control are individually and collectively so solid with everything in the ring. Bayley, Dakota, or Io could all be considered legitimate challengers for the championship and have the talent to perform on the bigger spot on the card that those opportunities would bring them. Becky Lynch had some stellar exchanges with Bayley and it would be great to see a few more matches between them.

The Rey vs. Dominik match had good in-ring action, but this segment showed why the narrative is so important in sports entertainment. When Dominik arrived on the scene in WWE, he was put in a tough spot because while he was trained by the underrated legend, Lance Storm, his first matches in the sport were on national television so any inexperience was widely viewed. He didn't get the chance to make the mistakes on the independent circuit and polish his skills before he landed under the bright lights of Raw. In many ways, as much as the father/son duo made sense on Raw originally, it almost pigeonholed Dominik in the role as just Rey's son. He was a good athlete, but it was obvious he was only given a WWE contract because of his last name. Granted, nepotism is nothing new in pro wrestling, but it didn't exactly work out too well for Erik Watts. That being said, this storyline not only gave Dominik his own persona, but it allowed him a meaningful angle to help him progress as a character on the show. The feud against his dad gave him a purpose as a character and he did very well in the role as he's one of the few heels that can generate legitimate heat from the fans. Despite the defeat, this segment showed that Dominik has the potential to become an established performer aside from his family name.

The Smackdown Women's title match might've been the best match on either night of WM. Charlotte and Rhea Ripley are top-tier performers that delivered a WM main event even if it wasn't the last match on the card. Everything was solid and crisp. The back and fourth drama allowed for the narrative to get the fans to question who might get the win. As we learned in the main event of night two, you can't assume anything, despite how logical the choice might be for the winner. However, Ripley getting the win made sense and it allows for another star to be made in the women's division.

The Pat McAfee appearance was just there to pace the card between the women's title match and the main event, which is completely fine, but there's not much to discuss either.

The tag team title match was action packed and the Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens victory allowed for the fans to celebrate for what was essentially the way to send the fans home happy, particularity based on the finish of night two. Sami and Owens getting the win was the major baby face victory for WM 39, even if that wasn't clear when night one went off the air. While the match was very good, it's necessary to point out that night one was a very solid show, but it was very clear that it was the "B side" of WM 39. As we've discussed the tag titles aren't viewed as a major priority in WWE, and the angle was probably more important than who won the belts because there's not an emphasis placed on the tag division.