Jon Moxley on Dynamite

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

It's a cliche, but it's a cliche that's true. It happens all the time, both in the mundane aspects of society, and in the over-the-top world of the pro wrestling business. Vince McMahon should've taken a lesson from all of the other powerful moguls that fell because of a scandal, TNA should've taken note of who actually killed WCW, and based on this week's episode of Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling might want to refer to the reveal that flopped last year before they plant more cryptic seeds.

Jon Moxley hasn't been seen on AEW programming since he dropped the IWGP championship to Naito at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view two months ago. As I wrote at the time, it was a good opportunity for Moxley to take some time away from the All Elite landscape during his brief reign as the top titleholder in New Japan since it gave him a chance to freshen up his persona. It wasn't his fault, but circumstances within the organization often dictated that Moxley step up to carry the company in times of distress. For some of the fair criticisms of his in-ring work, Moxley was an MVP in many ways for All Elite Wrestling.

Someone got injured? Moxley takes the title when he had a vacation scheduled, suspensions or backstage conflicts derail the script? Moxley steps up to be the guy to carry the flag of AEW forward. Keep in mind, while others waited for proof of concept to see if All Elite would get off the ground before they made the jump from WWE, Moxley was the star that got in on the ground floor when he made his surprise debut at the first Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

It's been more than five years and during that time, Jon Moxley had a good run with the company, particularly as someone with legitimate star power that gave the impression of optimism because he put the future of his career in the midst of the success or failure of the upstart project. Sure, it was a mix bag, but that's the case with more or less any pro wrestling project. The key is to maximize the positives, and minimize the negatives. Tony Khan's attempts to do that have been a mixed bag as well.

Still, the bottom line is that Tony is willing to put enough of his billionaire family's money into the wrestling league to make an impact in the industry. It's still an option for talent and fans, regardless of how bloated the roster is, or how unnecessary some of the B-shows are on its line-up. Does anything that happens on the Ring Of Honor brand truly make a difference in the grand scheme of things?

It goes without saying that the Blackpool Combat Club stable lost a lot of its steam when there weren't any members actually from Blackpool in the gorup and then a lot of the stablemates went in different directions so they weren't booked as a faction. Essentially, Tony's slapstick approach more or less eroded any importance the group had. So, it wasn't too surprising when Jon Moxley made his return to All Elite programming to open the show this past Wednesday without the stable. He was interviewed by Tony Schiavone, claiming that AEW isn't his company anymore, which prompted some level of confusion, as well as questions as to what this could be an indication of as far as storylines.

Obviously, Tony Schiavone isn't the owner of the company so the attempted message wasn't as clear as it could've been. Later in the show, there was a backstage segment where Marina Shafir attacked security and appeared to join Moxley. Unfortunately, Shafir is most well known for the absolutely cringe worthy "you know me" promo from a few years ago and hasn't appeared on AEW programming since a match on Rampage at the end of last year. She was MIA for the first half of this year until she resurfaced on ROH's streaming platform in May. I don't want to sound overly pessimistic, but the former MMA fighter gimmick lost its luster before Shafir made her AEW debut, and the harsh reality is, her character isn't anything of importance to the audience, nor was there any indication prior to this that she was destined for success in pro wrestling so this was a rather flat way to attempt to jump start a new faction that might potentially be booked for a major spot on AEW shows.

The problem is, besides Shafir not exactly being a major star to put a spotlight on the angle, that with Moxley's promo earlier in the show, it was implied that there was more to the story to unfold. Certainly, that appears to be the case, and perhaps, the hint was that the former AEW world champion will assemble a new faction to take the company by storm. However, is there actually a conclusion planned for this angle or will it be another example of an extended build up with an underwhelming payoff? Let's not forget, Adam Cole was the one under the mask at the finish of the World's End pay-per-view last year. It was an angle that went on too long and given the nature of how far it was stretched, you got the impression that Tony Khan was buying time to attempt to figure out a resolution, not building to a payoff.

With Moxley's implication of a takeover of the company, some fans have speculated on social media that this could put the foundation in place for the eventual debut of Shane McMahon. As I mentioned when I wrote an article about the rumors when they made the rounds online a few months ago, it's very doubtful that Shane is going to work for any other wrestling company outside of the WWE. If he landed on All Elite programming, it would make a splash and get fans to take notice, but in order for it to make a difference, AEW would have to avoid many of the pitfalls that eroded its audience in recent years.

Don't get me wrong, episodic television is one of the ways that you can build an audience, but Tony Khan better have a plan for the payoff because the claim that "it's not your company anymore" gives the impression of a major storyline. I'm not saying that Shane McMahon has to be the reveal, and it's doubtful that it would be realistically possible anyway, but the point is, there will have to be a conclusion that justifies the amount of TV time invested in the angle. As much as I'd like to say that the audience should be cautiously optimistic about the possibility that this is the start of a major angle, I can't use that term for the All Elite product because there was already a completely underwhelming scenario last year. However, I will definitely be happy to be wrong if this is the start of a major storyline that will spark the AEW product for next year, especially when it could help their new TV deal.

The NXT effect

When Vince McMahon was exiled in disgrace from his WWE empire a few years ago, there was undoubtedly a level of uncertainty around the future of the company, as the publicly-traded corporation had never been without a McMahon in some form or fashion since Vince Sr. founded Capital Wrestling as a northeast group decades ago. More specifically, there was a laundry list of examples of what happened to pro wrestling companies that allowed corporate suites to attempt a paint-by-numbers approach to the sports entertainment business in the past. You can script a push, but you can't shoehorn someone into the role of a money-drawing superstar. The most recent example is, Roman Reigns cast as the next John Cena flopped for several years, and without some level of competition to push the direction of the industry, McMahon tried to force that narrative to almost embarrassing results for 5-6 years on WWE programming. Ironically, but not surprising, when Roman Reigns was allowed to organically evolve as a heel, he had one of the most important title runs of the past few decades for WWE, and his return to the company earlier this month at Summer Slam was an incredibly memorable moment.

Thankfully, when Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC, bought the WWE last year to merge it with the MMA league, the multi-billion dollar conglomerate knew enough to know that they didn't know about pro wrestling. Much like its successful formula with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Endeavor put its media muscle and promotional dollars behind the brand of WWE without attempting to influence the direction of the content. Ari Emanuel makes billions of dollars for Endeavor because he knows how to navigate these waters, he knew he wasn't a wrestling guy so he wasn't going to step on the toes of those who had the experience to run a sports entertainment company.

As we know, Triple H, who many assumed would take over WWE with Stephanie McMahon one day in the future, is now the guy running the organization. It's rather odd that despite being seasoned for the role for several years prior, Triple H was almost minimized in his role when the real-life Paul Levesque had a health scare with heart issues a few years ago. Perhaps, Vince wasn't truly going to give his son-in-law keys to the castle as long as McMahon still had a desk at Titan Towers.

When the horrendous details of a lawsuit against Vince were revealed earlier this year, he became persona non grata within the realm of WWE, which prompted him to sell his stock in the company, relinquishing any interest or control in the organization. TKO, the corporation that was formed under the WWE/UFC merger, firmly gave control to Triple H to steer the direction of the product, while using its distribution power to expand the reach of WWE programming, which is one of the reasons that Bash in Berlin will be hosted in Germany this weekend. From a macro level, that's the biggest effect that TKO had on the dynamics of WWE, it took steps to truly globalize and thus maximize the potential revenue, of the WWE brand.

This will be further cemented when Raw makes the jump to Netflix in January, as it will bring the WWE shows to anywhere with an internet connection. Prior to this, management had to negotiate specific TV deals in different countries throughout the world. As we know, because of the logistics of time zones and travel, many foreign markets don't get many live events, building up the demand for shows to be brought to those countries. The Netflix deal could open the door for more premium shows outside of the United States. 

Of course, that's the business side of the corporate world. Still, Triple H's influence on the WWE on a more weekly basis has also changed many of the troupes of a previous era.

We've seen over the past several months that NXT's working agreement with TNA has been mutually beneficial to everyone involved. Anthem Entertainment wants relatively cheap originally programming, which is why they rescued Impact Wrestling from the brink of collapse in 2016. The show drew great numbers in Canada, and despite the expanded touring schedule over the past two years or so, TNA is essentially a Canadian project. There's nothing wrong with that either, as if it makes a profit and keeps the doors open then it's mission accomplished. Anthem isn't going to invest the cash or take the risks involved to attempt to compete with the American landscape of professional wrestling. Even if they tried, it's doubtful that Anthem could secure the star power or the distribution to try to compete with WWE or AEW. Again, revenue and profit are the true measures of success so if Anthem has found that for TNA then they have a successful business venture.

We've seen NXT talent like Charlie Dempsey and others show up in the Impact Zone, while names like  Jordynne Grace and  Joe Hendry appear on WWE programming. Under McMahon, the WWE rarely ever recognized the existence of other pro wrestling companies and certainly wouldn't take the time to feature other stars. It goes without saying that TNA is absolutely no threat to WWE, and if anything, the survival of TNA provides a platform for more talent to make a name for themselves. Maybe Joe Hendry has the potential to be a major star, but he won't get the chance to fully utilize it unless there's a stage for him to be discovered. The WWE is absolutely a machine, but even they can't discover or develop the entire industry, the cookie-cutter approach to talent development in the mid-2000s was proof of that. With this working agreement, more talent gets their chance to shine, and if WWE finds one top-drawing star from the experiment then it was worth it. At the same time, TNA gets an increase in brand awareness, albeit on a smaller scale, and the added benefit of NXT talent to keep its product more contemporary.

Granted, I still find the concept of a developmental brand on national television to be counterproductive, as it puts less experienced performers on live television where their mistakes can be seen by a more mainstream audience, but considering that the show got a rights deal to move to the CW, it's tough to argument with the goals of the brand if its profitable for the corporation. Along with that, the office has to give the audience of the Tuesday show, which is the least watched on the WWE line-up, a reason to tune into a product that is often inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

Last night, TNA knockout, Rosemary made her surprise NXT debut, and it was another unique element that makes the developmental brand standout among the current crowded wrestling landscape. This isn't to say that Rosemary or necessarily any other TNA talent will suddenly skyrocket to main event Wrestlemania, but it's a fun dynamic that brings an organic dynamic to the show.

That might be the biggest takeaway from the Triple H era so far, the tired cliches that were used to an exhausting level, both from a booking and production approach were mostly phased out of the product, particularly the ridiculous amount of camera cuts when Kevin Dunn left the company. Obviously, Triple H isn't perfect, but the shows have a more organic and spontaneous presentation than the product had for several years.

Sid passed away

Sid Eudy, known for his memorable career inside the ring ropes under variations of his real name, passed away at the age of 63 yesterday after a battle with cancer, according to a post by his son on social media.

Breaking in under a mask in the Memphis territory, Sid Vicious is a unique case, even for the unique genre that is the professional wrestling industry. Standing close to 6'10, Eudy quite literally stood out in a world of eccentric and over-the-top personas. The aura that he had as he walked to the ring with his menacing frame, often proclaiming to be, "the ruler of the world" through clinched teeth, was only matched by his mysterious business choices outside of it.

Make no mistake about it, in a cosmetic business, the look of Psycho Sid seemed like it was built to print money. In fact, he portrayed his later "unbalanced" persona so well that went you take into account some of the backstage tales around his career, you have to wonder if he actually was unbalanced outside of the ring.

Perhaps, it was those business choices or disagreements in some cases that kept him from being a bigger star, despite the rather brief runs that he had at the top of both major companies throughout the 90s.

After less than two years in Memphis, he inked a deal with World Championship Wrestling in 1989, working with Dan Spivey as one half of The Skyscrapers. By definition, Sid was a puppy with big paws so to speak, as just a few years experience led to some absolutely brutal squash matches that saw Sid potato some of the jobbers, although you never got the impression it was intentional. During this era of his career, he had an undistinguished run as a member of The Four Horseman at a time when total lack of direction under Jim Herd prompted WCW to attempt to try to repackage a faction that had prior success.

Without a firm direction in WCW, Sid opted to explore his chances in the WWF, debuting with the organization in mid-1991. In some ways, his relatively short WCW tenure allowed WWF brass to get a glimpse of the potential that he could bring to the table. Sid Justice was put into the mix relatively quickly and worked with the top names in the company. It's important to put this scenario into the proper context, this was during the era when the "big four" pay-per-views really shaped the direction of the entire year, with the crescendo at Wrestlemania and usually that momentum had some type of effect on the card at Summer Slam. Sid was less than a year into his WWF stint when he played a key role in the finish of the Royal Rumble in 1992, which saw Ric Flair win the vacant championship, to set up a WM main event match against Hulk Hogan a few months later. Reportedly, Sid failed a drug test and decided to leave the company because of a disagreement with management for how the failed test should be handled.

In many ways, this situation was a microcosm of Sid's career, as despite main event exposure, he didn't stay anywhere long enough to truly cement himself as a top-tier guy, and that scenario happened on a few different occasions throughout his career.

After almost a year out of the spotlight, Sid resurfaced in World Championship Wrestling in the spring of 1993, but was only there a few months, as that October the infamous scissor incident happened with Arn Anderson during a tour of England. The story has become one of the urban legends of the industry and what did or didn't happen depends on who you ask. Ironically, in the years that followed the incident, neither wrestler had much to say negatively about the other. Regardless of how exactly the argument started or who stabbed who with the pair of scissors, Sid was released from his WCW deal because of the incident.

By early-1995, Sid was back in the WWF, but an injury later in the year sidelined his progress. It became a running joke around his career, but supposedly, when Sid was on the injured list at home, he often enjoyed playing softball. When he was back in action in 1996 under the "Psycho" Sid moniker, this was probably the biggest run of his career, albeit just as brief as most of the others. He won the WWF title when he dethroned Shawn Micheals at the Survivor Series. He went on to main event his second Wrestlemania the following year when he dropped the title to The Undertaker. Reports of a neck injury saw him leave the company just three months later.

Despite the fact that he was in the main event of Wrestlemania in 1997, suggesting that he could've cashed in on the notoriety, Sid spent 1998 with only a handful of independent appearances before he made a few surprise cameos in ECW in early-1999. On one hand, "Psycho" Sid could've worked really well in the environment of extreme, but he was a businessman first, and there's nothing wrong with that. Paul Heyman simply wasn't going to be able to talk him into waiting months to get paid so by mid-1999, he landed once again in WCW.

Similar to the rest of his career, he immediately became a main event player in WCW, winning the heavyweight title by early-2000, but the ship was sinking so it's doubtful that Sid or anyone else was going to turn the company around during his last run there. At the Sin pay-per-view in 2001, Sid suffered an absolutely horrific leg injury during the main event that essentially ended his career. He made a handful of wrestling appearances in the decade after that, including a memorable cameo on Raw in 2012, but the serious leg injury ended his career when he probably still had a few years of full-time wrestling left in the tank.

The sum total of Sid's career was that he was undoubtedly a great attraction just not a polished in-ring worker, which was exposed when he had to work on weekly television during the latter portion of his career, as opposed to the house show format earlier. Basically, the more you saw him, the less impressive he was, which is probably one of the reasons he didn't stay in one place long enough to ever get stale. As much as miscalculated business decisions led to short stints, there was always a demand to see him back in the fold because each jump gave him a fresh start to cash-in on such an impressive look and performance. Sid's character and performance were authentic and believable, which was why he was a main event guy almost his entire career. Again, he didn't stay anywhere long enough to true get a solid run as the top guy, but he was always booked around the main event talent, which is why he was one of the most memorable performers of that era.

All In review

All Elite Wrestling's All In pay-per-view from Wembley Stadium is in the books, and there should largely be a positive outlook for the company going into the fall. However, there were undoubtedly conflicting narratives that muddied the waters and somewhat hindered the presentation of some segments. Still, this was a rather strong offering from the organization at a time where they needed to deliver a quality event.

The show opened with the trios ladder match, which is questionably because to start with the car crash segment, it puts at least the next few matches that follow with a hill to climb. A stiff headlock simply isn't going to seem as devastating after seeing more than a dozen bumps onto ladders ten minutes earlier. With four teams involved, this bout got very clunky and very crowded at certain points, and I'm not sure if any of that could've been avoided. There were times when it looked like a traffic jam for wrestlers to either get out of the way of the next spot or to get set for the next spot, and unfortunately, it looked overly choreographed, even for a segment that you expect to look overly choreographed. Another aspect that goes along with the territory is that you have literally a dozen wrestlers involved, and the amount of table spots, ladder bumps, and dives completely gets lost in a potpourri of chaos. A few of the still dangerous, but less spectacular bumps could've been eliminated and it truly wouldn't have affected the quality of the contest. Ultimately, there were unneeded risks, and that's something that should be limited, based on the injury rate in AEW. Most importantly, how many of these dangerous bumps are the audience going to remember after a four-hour pay-per-view?

Pac really shined here with a series of dives, the guy is poetry in motion, and if he'd be on the shows more often, the argument could be made that he could be a bigger asset for the organization. Juice Robinson took a nasty bump off the apron and the table didn't break in the latter portion of the match. The spot where The Gunns climbed on the backs of their opponents on the ladders just for everyone to fall through tables was odd. Pac got the belts to win the match for his team, which got a nice reaction from the crowd to give him the hometown moment. That said, it didn't seem like the crowd was actually invested in what team won the match, but rather how many bumps there were going to be, which suggests that the Trios titles lack importance. Again, the pop at the finish was for Pac getting the win in his hometown, not exactly that he won a championship on a makeshift team with the Blackpool Combat Club.

Mariah May beat Toni Storm to win the AEW Women's championship, and this bout was an example of conflicting narratives that took away from the overall presentation. Based on the bloody beat down when May turned on Toni, this had the set up for a solid grudge match, but it wasn't exactly worked that way. About half way through the contest, May was bleeding, in theory a rightfully act of revenge for her sneak attack against Storm, but instead of selling it with a level of shock, as if the heel is surprised they finally got what they deserved, Mariah sold it by crying, which puts her in the position of a sympathetic figure. Along the same lines, just before that, May slapped her mom at ringside. First of all, there was no context as to who she was and she's never been on any of the shows before so she's not established in any way for the audience to be invested into her involvement. Secondly, why exactly did Mariah slap her own mom? If there was a backstory, it was never told so it was completely random and came off as a flimsy, desperate attempt to get cheap heat, which added nothing because the previously mentioned turn on Toni was more than enough to sell this match on pay-per-view. After the exchange, Toni eventually went to hug Mariah's mom. Again, why is this happening? Do they know each other and is there some background that wasn't explained? Most importantly, Toni Storm is in the middle of a grudge match for the championship with an opponent that bloodied her on television, but she's going to stop in the middle and hug the random lady in the front row? It was established that Mariah is dangerous because of the prior attack, why would Storm be willing to turn her back on an opponent?

This was a well wrestled match as far as the performance of each maneuver, and these two are more than capable of putting on a quality pay-per-view match, but the over-the-top theatrics took away from that. Finally, after Toni lost the belt, she was smiling and waving on her way backstage so unless this is the start of a change in her character, why would she smile after losing a title?

Hook beat Chris Jericho to win the FTW title, but this was more of a segment than a match. It was three-on-one for most of the segment, and it was just an extended beat down that became very tedious, despite the fact that it only went 10 minutes. It appeared that this was the conclusion of the angle, and it should be, but if that was the case, they probably would've been better served to have a 10-minute match to be able to work some type of pace to the action rather than this clunky segment. Eventually, Taz choked out Bryan Keith, which was cool and got a major pop, while Hook made Jericho tap to win the title.

The three-way tag team title match was fine, but it never really got into second gear and didn't develop into anything too memorable, which is somewhat of a letdown, taking into account the talent of the teams involved. Quite frankly, FTR are too talent to get less than 12 minutes in a stadium for a match that was thrown together to more or less shoehorn more names onto the card than anything else. Don't get me wrong, this was entertaining for what it was, but you'd expect more on this stage, especially because of the focus the company put on tag team wrestling in the past. As much as the early portions of the angle that turned the EVPs heel made sense, The Young Bucks haven't really done much as champions for this particularity reign. The Bucks retained when they hit Dax with the double knees. Post-match, The Grizzled Young Vets showed up and attacked Cash Wheeler. Adding more wrestlers to the roster is exactly what AEW needs to do, right?

The gauntlet was fun, with the surprise entrants of Nigel McGuinness and Ricochet. This was a really nice moment for Nigel, who through a series of unfortunate injuries and health issues never truly got the credit he deserves for his career. At 48, Nigel should probably consider this cameo his proper sendoff rather than a potential comeback. Given the same history of injuries that hinder his career as an in-ring wrestler in the big leagues, there's no reason for him to risk potential injuries in the ring at a significantly older age. As I wrote an in article about Ricochet's rumored arrival to AEW, it makes sense for him to make the jump because he was typecast in WWE, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if he gets lost in the shuffle in a matter of weeks in AEW. Christian getting the win to secure a title shot at anytime was somewhat puzzling, specifically because there was already the Christian/Swerve main event storyline just a few months ago so it's more or less a total retread. All things considered, this was probably a missed opportunity to set up a scenario to elevate someone else on the roster.

At this point in the show, we're about half way through the broadcast, and while nothing was subpar, there wasn't anything epic either. Thankfully, the latter portion of the card was the meat of the matter so to speak. I will still say that Will Ospreay should've been booked to win the AEW world title to maximize the moment and opportunity in Wembley Stadium, as it's fairly obvious that the International belt is just a prop among the countless titles in the company. Still, Ospreay and MJF delivered a top quality performance that had the in-ring action that you'd expect from an All Elite PPV, but had enough psychology to have the peaks and valleys to make the most of the situation. This went about 25 minutes so they could've trimmed off a few minutes, but it built really well toward the conclusion and didn't drag during the segment. This is easier said than done since athletes of this caliber are rare, but if AEW had more of this and less of the usual nonsense, it's doubtful there would be sluggish ratings, which suggests that Tony is a great matchmaker to put together two talented stars that can have a great match, just a subpar booker in terms of weekly television. One of the details that made this contest as good as it was at Wembley, was the fact that they both took the time to properly sell the major spots to make the most of the narrative. Ospreay beat MJF with the tiger driver, which was the only logical finish because of the storyline that they used for the past few months.

Next up, Britt Baker challenged Mercedes Mone for the TBS title. This bout was somewhat sloppy, suggesting that Britt might have some ring rust, but it was still very solid because these two worked with an intensity that usually isn't seen in most AEW matches. This looked like a grudge match and the level of intensity can sometimes excuse some of the sloppiness with certain spots. This was a physical, fast-paced contest that had the audience following the action to see who was going to get the advantage toward the conclusion. Mone landed her finisher to retain the title. I'm nor sure what's next because in theory, a stadium showdown would be the payoff to a feud, but these two could easily get more mileage from this rivalry on television.

The TNT title match was a 10-minute sprint, which was a good decision because the ladder match earlier in the card already had the extended time that it takes to set up spots. This was more or less what you'd expect from a Darby Allin pay-per-view bout, there's going to be a car crash segment with completely unnecessary risks, but somehow it's going to remain intriguing throughout the match. Darby gluing tacks to his face was ridiculous. The dive he took into the casket lid was brutal. Jack Perry using a bag of broken glass to remind everyone that the biggest star that AEW ever had now works for the WWE and draws much bigger numbers than anything All Elite can generate was also a reminder that AEW is still amateur hour by comparison, which is a shame given the quality of some of this card. Perry landed a knee to put Darby in the casket to retain the title. The Sting cameo was really fun, and it's often said that pro wrestling is about the moments, this was definitely a really cool moment. The stadium singing along with Seek and Destroy while Sting dispatches the heels is great stuff.

The main event went almost 30 minutes and I thought it got verbose at some points, but overall it was mission accomplished. Speaking of moments, this main event gave Bryan Danielson the underdog comeback to win the championship and celebrate with his family in the ring while Final Countdown blared in Wembley Stadium. Taking into account how talented and beloved he is, it's tough to argue that this wasn't the right way to finish the pay-per-view, regardless of the path it took to get there. The only problem is, and this underscores the conflicting narratives that were mentioned earlier, Swerve Strickland got pushed to the title because he organically got over as a baby face during the feud with Adam Page when he was initially slotted to be a heel. The audience turned Swerve baby face, and in many ways, this storyline tried to shoehorn him into the role of a heel again, which is way too early in terms of the progress of his character. The result could be that Swerve ends up indifferent as a character without any direction.

Still, the main event will be memorable for the quality finish. The second half of this show was very strong, and in some respects, showed what All Elite is capable of when it plays to its strengths as a brand. Reportedly, Danielson plans to finish his career and expects to need neck surgury by the end of the year so if I had to guess, I'd say he will drop the title in his home state of Washington at the Wrestle Dream pay-per-view.

Will Ricochet sign for AEW?

Just before All Elite Wrestling is set for its pay-per-view, All In at Wembley Stadium, a report surfaced that the former WWE star, Ricochet has inked a multi-year deal with the company, with speculation that he will make a surprise debut during the event in London. He was last seen on Raw at the end of June when he was attacked by Bron Breakker to be written out of television.

During an edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez mentioned that the word is that former WWE Intercontinental champion is expected to make his debut with the organization during the PPV.

The aerial star began wrestling when he was still a teenager and over the course of two decades, has worked for more or less every major organization in the industry. He competed for numerous indies, had a stellar run in New Japan, and worked under a mask in Lucha Underground. He eventually signed a WWE developmental deal in 2018 and spent more than six years under contract. Despite several title runs, including the IC and US belts at various points over his WWE tenure, it still seemed like management never really knew exactly what to do with him, as the start and stop pushes that he received never allowed him to generate enough momentum to truly be elevated in terms of getting to the next level as a star. 

Don't get me wrong, his athletic ability is incredible, but the office didn't commit enough time and enough of a promotional push at any specific point to truly move him up the card. Regardless of how many titles he held, he was still positioned as the entertaining high-flyers that would often be used to make others look good instead of booked in a way to boost his own stock. Each time management put the brakes on an individual push, it almost reinforced to the audience that Ricochet was a mid-card guy. Furthermore, when he was paired with Braun Strowman for a tag team stint, it was another way for him to play second fiddle in some respects, he wasn't the star, he was the sidekick to the star. Some of the attempts to repackage him for a broader audience were too ham-handed to have any realistic chance to be successful, such as when he was put in a super hero type bodysuit. It just looked rather silly compared to his usual high-flyer presentation.

The reason why Ricochet didn't get a chance to work the upper portion of the card might be as simple as the fact that he didn't have the prototypical size that the company looks for, especially during the Vince McMahon era,  but regardless of the reason, he was still branded as a mid-card talent with a ceiling in WWE.

That being said, the office knows the value that he has as an athlete, particularly as a utility worker as far as being an asset to the company. Keep in mind, Ricochet allowed his contract to expire and opted not to re-sign with WWE, he wasn't released. He probably could've signed a new deal and continued to make good in the WWE, but again, he was stalled in terms of his progress in the organization.

Obviously, it's not too difficult to guess that he probably will land in All Elite Wrestling since that's where the best money outside of WWE can be made, and in some cases, even more money can be offered if Tony Khan wants to keep someone away from the WWE. If Ricochet can get more money from Tony than he can from TKO, he should take it because making as much cash as possible is the entire point of the business. For a performer of his caliber, anything other than the two major groups would be a step down. He still has prime years of his career left so TNA or MLW are too small of a scale for what he can bring to the table, which is enough skill to be on the biggest stage possible. New Japan could use the star power, and his history there would allow him to be perceived as a major star, but again the business is about making the most money possible, and as we've seen during the past few years that the Japanese league can't compete with the money offered from AEW or WWE.

Still, if Ricochet debuts tomorrow in the stadium, will he have a successful run in All Elite Wrestling?

All things considered, outside of one exception, there's nothing that makes me think that Ricochet won't end up in the same spot as almost every new acquisition for the company. He will get the artificial debut pop, he will be featured on television for a few weeks, and then he will get lost in the shuffle with occasional matches on Rampage that only a fraction of the AEW audience watches on TNT. I'm not trying to be overly negative, and considering how truly talented Ricochet is, I'd rather say that he will get a chance to shine to his fullest potential, but I don't see that being the case for him, based on the countless names that end up in the witness protection program because they are rarely showcased on AEW programming. I will ask again, has anyone seen Ricky Starks?

While it's a safe bet that Ricochet will show up at All In, I expect his run in the organization to be something similar to that of Miro or Andrade, someone that you'd expect to flourish outside of the WWE, but for whatever reason it doesn't happen. Is Miro still under contract?

The one caveat of all of this is that it will be an opportunity for Will Ospreay and Ricochet to work another series of matches. The two had a spectacular bout in New Japan several years ago that many pundits and critics took notice of at the time, and it was one of the matches that garnered Ospreay more notoriety. Granted, the reason for this will probably be nothing more than the fact that Tony Khan wants to recreate something from New Japan in an AEW ring, which is why he booked the Continental Classic to mimic the G1 tournament last year, but the bottom line is, it will be an opportunity for American fans to get to see Ospreay and Ricochet deliver a dazzling spot fest on pay-per-view. The match-up would be tremendous and give the fans their money's worth, but similar to almost everything else in AEW, it will be a coincidence since it was something that Tony wanted to see rather than the business that could be done, which is why there would be no or minimal follow-up, as it wouldn't be a part of a long-term booking plan so then  Ricochet will be just another guy on the roster.

So, yes, Ricochet will probably make his All Elite Wrestling debut in London tomorrow, but it's possible that even that might be lost in the shuffle of an overbooked four-hour pay-per-view with a slew of gimmick matches. As I said, if not the WWE, Ricochet will work for All Elite, and at 35, he still has prime years left in his career so it makes sense that he doesn't want to continue to flounder without a solid direction under the TKO banner, but unfortunately, Tony Khan's track record of booking new signings doesn't suggest that Ricochet will automatically be in a better spot in AEW,

Big Time Wrestling

Usually, I tackle the national scene or pen a feature story about some of the stellar independent talent that I get the chance to do commentary for on the local circuit. I don't write about myself too often, simply because you click these articles to read about wrestling (and I sincerely thank you for it), not me. However, I will occasionally dive into a personal story, as it's often circumstances that would only occur around the over-the-top sport of professional wrestling.

You might recall that a few years ago, I wrote a column titled, "chicken and cage matches," a write-up that chronicled the journey that one of my wrestling pals, Joe Folino and I took across the state of Pennsylvania after he secured free tickets to TNA Lockdown in 2009. The saga of a mostly empty arena, being literally in the middle of no where according to the GPS, and discovering a Roy Rogers rest stop at 2 AM without any chicken received some fun feedback. So, I figured another tale of an absurd wrestling adventure might provide some entertainment.

Joe's family has been friends with my family for years so when he told me about Kane doing a rare independent appearence on a card that also had Bubba Ray Dudley and Shane Douglas, I was pumped to get to take a trip with some of my wrestling pals. This was in February of 2020, mere weeks before the pandemic decided to Yakuza kick the entire world. At the time, I was board-oping at a local radio station about 10 minutes from Joe's house so after I completed a five-hour shift running the board at around 10 AM, Joe swung by the broadcast building to pick me up before we began the venture to pro wrestling prosperity. Different from when we went across the state on less than 24 hours notice, this time Joe's two brothers, his very nice father-in-law Mel, and his two young daughters were along for the ride. The three-row SUV got everyone a spot and we were on the road to Altoona, PA. The destination has a history of pro wrestling and is near central Pennsylvania.

To make the most out of the few hours on the road, a few pit stops were planned, including the Mars candy factory store, and a restaurant that I can't recall the exact name of, but it specialized in Carolina barbecue. This event was held the day before the Super Bowl so while the youngsters watched some shows on their tablets, Mel flipped through a large stack of sheets that resembled a phone book, scanning through various prop bets for the big game. It was rather comical as Mel diligently scanned the odds and relayed the information to the rest of us about the coin toss, the halftime show, and the color of the Gatorade for each team. As the Folino brothers and I discussed the odds with the Andy Reid of prop bets, a few small flurries could be seen around the windows.

After about an hour and a half on the road, which went by quickly as we were shooting the breeze and did an obnoxious amount of "That's gotta be Kane!" impressions, we made the turn into the Mars Candy parking lot. I expected to see some giant tower with chocolate erupting from it like a volcano, and Gene Wilder pop out with a walking stick, but the store itself was rather small. The factory looked like any other non-descript building complex. There were no catchy tunes or little orange guys with wheel barrels full of sugar to complete the candy product. But, once we got inside the store, it was a really neat experience, the tiny space was literally stacked to the ceiling with every assortment of candy that the brand offered. Actual crates of chocolate were stacked taller than any of us. In a rather comical moment, Joe gleefully picked up a gigantic industrial size tub of marshmallows for his purchase. Everyone picked out their candy choice, and I opted from a pack of chocolate covered pretzels, noticing a really cool framed photo of The Three Stooges when they visited the location decades earlier.

With bags full of candy and giant marshmallows, we all jumped back in the SUV for a brief 15-minute ride to the BBQ restaurant. To call this BBQ spot a hole in the wall would be charitable. Don't get me wrong, the place was clean, the staff was friendly, and the ribs were great, but similar to the previous pit stop, the restaurant was about the size of a convenient store. There were three small tables up against one of the walls and a counter that had a row of seating. The place was packed, as many stood almost shoulder to shoulder waiting for their to-go orders. As I said, the ribs were great, and if the building was anywhere near civilization, it's a somewhere I'd visit again. The ribs had a solid set of seasonings that added a lot of great flavor and you could tell that the food had been properly cooked, which explained the wait for the crowd inside the building.

The barbecue was a win, and it was time for some wrestling. The organization that held this event was Big Time Wrestling, it was somewhat of an odd scenario, as the group ran events in multiple states with a lot of major names, but wasn't exactly on the radar as a major independent company. They had a smart business strategy, though. They'd bring in some legends to draw the crowd and then the undercard was mostly weekend warriors or local talent. If I had to guess, the reason they didn't get more publicity is that Big Time Wrestling was more of a meet and greet organization that happened to include a wrestling show with it than events of major in-ring substance. That's not a criticism, either, tickets sold are tickets sold.

The mayor of Knoxville drew the crowd that night, as the Jaffa Mosque was packed with a very "typical" rasslin crowd in the mostly rural area of central Pennsylvania. I almost felt like it was enemy territory as red hats and t-shirts for the orange villain were scattered among a sea of overalls and pouches of tobacco. Along the lengthy line for the meet and greet of the former WWE champion, Bully Ray had a table for photos and autographs. You hear a lot of stories about Bubba in interviews, but he was very polite when I met him and got his original ECW figure signed. He was also very nice and smiled for a photo with Joe's daughters. Once we reached the stage to meet "The Big Red Machine," he was very polite, taking a moment to talk to us and signed my 1998 magazine that had him on the cover. Granted, Kane has posted a lot of ridiculous and insane things on social media in the four and half years since I met him, but he took a lot of chair shots during his career so I'm just going to stick with the fact that he was nice when I met him. On a lighter note, after he met the top draw of the night, we saw Tom Brandi in one of the hallways, complete with USA mask and selling photos of Del Wilkes. Brandi, in a true carny stroke of genius, was also selling sharpies, that fans could buy to use for other autographs that night. We found Shane Douglas and his trainer, Dominic DeNucci at their tables, and while Joe's daughters met "The Franchise," who sold his 8X10s at a generous discount, as he was aware that the youngsters weren't old enough to know who he was, I was thrilled to be able to get a picture with DeNucci. The former WWWF tag champion had a myriad of photos at his table, and given that they were different sizes and ranged in photo quality, it almost looked like he might've just been clearing some space from home when he brought the variety of pictures with him. I went to give him a $20, as I assumed he was the same price as Douglas. In his trademark accent, he said “no, no, too much.” At this point, I was confused because I had never seen a wrestler refused money when offered. I said, “Dominic, I appreciate the autograph, I gotta give you some money for it.” I tried a $10 bill and with a chuckle he said, “okay, okay.” I said thank you and he thanked me for saying hello. In truth, I’m not sure if Dominic was even charging for autographs, but his humble nature speaks volumes as to why you won’t find anyone that will say anything negative about him.

As mentioned, the line-ups of these shows in terms of matches aren't designed to draw the crowd. Nothing was overly memorable, other than Douglas had a match against someone named Mr. TA, and Bubba put his opponent through a table in the main event. The balcony seating was really neat and it was a cool venue. I'm guessing more groups don't run events at the building because of its rather obscure location.

As we left the show, the brisk air of February was a sharp contrast to the heat in the building. What we didn't know was that while we were inside the Jaffa Mosque meeting mayors and ECW legends, the same brisk February night saw several inches of snow begin to fall outside. After we all buckled up in the SUV, I began to wonder exactly how we were going to navigate through nearly two hours of rural terrain at 11 PM during a snowstorm. As we carefully made our way through the snow-covered roads, only the cascade of snow in front of the headlights was visible. I sincerely give Joe and his co-pilot, Mel credit for getting us through the storm safely. It was the tense moments where Joe had to carefully navigate the road well under the speed limit because not much could be seen other than the brake lights of a few cars ahead of us that I pondered if this rather dangerous situation that I got myself into was worth the signed action figure and magazine. Of course it was, right?

Thankfully, we made it back to western, Pennsylvania without any major incidents, aside from the extra hour that it took us to get back because of the inclement weather. After I got home at around 1:45 AM, Joe sent me a text to let me know that everyone had arrived home safely there. So, four and a half years later, I have the signed Kane magazine framed, the Bubba ECW action figure in a protective case next to a previously signed D-Von figure, and all things considered, it was a fun trip, but I wonder if Mel landed any of those prop bets?  

What does Wembley stadium say about AEW?

With this week’s episode of Dynamite in the books, All Elite Wrestling is headed toward its second Wembley stadium show this weekend. Last year, with the demand that the European market had for live events, AEW sold over 80,000 tickets for their London debut. It was also the same night that CM punk and Jack Perry got into a backstage scuffle, leading to the firing of the real-life Phil Brooks, and it further added  to the criticism that the promotion wasn’t organized or run in a truly professional manner. 

Some of that, as recently just a few weeks ago, with the reported backstage confrontation between Britt Baker and MJF’s girlfriend, Alica Atout is still a part of the narrative of the organization.

In the time since their debut in Wembley, AEW has seen its share of negative publicity, as well as questions about the true potential of the upstart organization that was started by the Khan family five years ago. Since the last time All Elite was in London, CM punk made a shocking return to the WWE and almost immediately became one of the biggest stars in the company. Jade Cargill made a successful debut for the WWE, and while she’s still somewhat of a project, she was perceived as a bigger star in a matter of weeks in the WWE than she was during a few years under the All Elite banner. Ethan Page, a talented athlete that got completely lost in the shuffle for three years in AEW, is the current NXT champion. Finally, Cody Rhodes ascended to the top spot of the WWE when the audience soured on him in All Elite Wrestling just two years earlier.

From the All Elite side, Tony Khan continued to sign a slew of talent, including Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay to the roster. Furthermore, he signed the former Sasha Banks, Mercedes Mone. All things considered, Ospreay is probably the only new acquisition that has truly shown any glimpse of being worth the investment. As spectacular as Kazuchika Okada was during his New Japan tenure, he’s either unmotivated without an angle of any importance or he’s just coasting on his reputation to collect some easy money in the latter portion of his career. Okada worked a very physical style for several years in his native country, but the bottom line is, he was paid top dollar to relocate to the United States to be full-time with AEW so the reality of if the company will see a realistic return on the investment of the contract should be taken into account. Outside of a tremendous pay-per-view bout against Pac, the week-to-week presentation from Okada has been underwhelming.

Will Ospreay is one of the best of his generation and by the time he hangs up his boots, the potential is there for him to be known as one of the greatest of all time. That remains to be seen, simply because injuries can greatly hinder the trajectory of a career, but assuming that Ospreay can stay healthy, AEW has an all-time great performer on its roster for the prime of his career. Mercedes Mone is on the other end of the spectrum in some ways. She started her career very popular in the WWE before she walked out of the company a few years ago. The online speculation was that Sasha Banks was difficult to work with and perhaps that’s why she chose to work for AEW instead of WWE when she resurfaced from a broken ankle that she suffered during a New Japan show. Ironically, Mercedes was in attendance at Wembley Stadium last year. To say that her current stint in AEW fell short of expectations would be understatement, at least in my view. Don’t give me wrong, if Mercedes can talk up her value and then cash in big money working for Tony then good for her, that’s the entire point of the business, but that doesn’t change the fact that her impact on AEW by any metric hasn’t been equal to her hefty contract. Mercedes' promos sounded flat and uninspiring. The die hard AEW audience has already branded her a flop, and that essentially is what cast her in a heel role for the current feud.

Of course, the disjointed and slapstick direction of the product continues to erode the ratings on an almost weekly basis.

So it goes without saying that since the last Wembley Stadium show, the WWE has done exponentially better, then All Elite in ratings, attendance, and revenue.

However, don’t get me wrong. This is not an attempt to pile on to Tony Khan. As I’ve said many times before, the existence of All Elite is critical for the overall success of the pro wrestling industry. If AEW folded, which it won’t, it would set the business back at least another decade. Nobody, not the fans, not the talent, and even not the WWE themselves would truly benefit from their being only one national organization.

That being said, what exactly happened to flip this dynamic?

Unfortunately, using Wembley as a benchmark, it illustrates how mistakes and mismanagement can affect not only the goodwill with the audience, but also the overall perception of the potential of the organization. Regardless of what side of the argument someone was on for the CM Punk/Young Bucks debacle, it gave the impression that perhaps All Elite was being run on nepotism, rather than to spark the industry. Keep in mind, the fans rallied behind the concept of AEW and thus were willing to invest their hard earned money into the organization through ticket sales and pay-per-view buys because they wanted to see an alternative be successful, especially with the amount of dissatisfaction around the WWE at the time. When Punk scorched the earth at the press conference, it gave a glimpse behind-the-scenes that perhaps The Young Bucks wanted to start AEW to benefit themselves and their friends rather than to change the business as they had claimed when the project launched.

The cringe worthy two-hour press conferences, where Tony Khan got the chance to sit next to and hug his favorite wrestlers also gave the impression that maybe Tony wanted to be friends with the talent using his family's money rather than change the dynamics of the stale industry. It undoubtedly eroded the goodwill that AEW had with the audience, and once the novelty of a new product wore off, All Elite would have to sink or swim on its own merits. As we’ve seen, that scenario yielded mixed results.

The reason that Wembley stadium is a benchmark for All Elite Wrestling is because that last year before CM punk left, The devil reveal was completely underwhelming, and MJF's world title reign was also completely  lackluster as it was hindered by the silly storyline with Adam Cole, the stadium had 80,000 fans in attendance. Reportedly, there are just above 50,000 tickets sold for this year. Obviously, selling 50,000 tickets is a great draw, but there were 30,000 more fans that were willing to spend money on tickets just last year, so clearly the decrease translates into a level of dissatisfaction with the product. As of now, All in is be scheduled for Texas next year, which would imply that this weekend's Wembley show might be their final stadium event in London for the foreseeable future.

Perception is reality in many respects, and if fans don’t see AEW as an organization with a bright future or one that can shape the direction of the industry, they might be more hesitant to spend their cash on the product. The difference in ticket sales for Wembley reflects the overall lack of enthusiasm and quality control within AEW programming. Perhaps, if Tony Khan wanted to repeat 80,000 tickets sold in London, he would fully utilize Will Ospreay and book him to win the AEW World Championship in the stadium. Regardless of the quality of the Wembley show this weekend, the problems that have plagued AEW can’t be solved with one spectacular show, one major free agent signing, or one great rating for television.

Ultimately, the ticket sales and the sluggish ratings as compared to last year prove that the lack of decisions made to fully utilize the assets on the roster yield diminishing returns for the company.

What's next for the Lucha Brothers

The rumor mill in professional wrestling continues to spin tidbits of gossip online, this time about the future of one of the tag teams that were a featured part of the original stages of All Elite Wrestling, The Lucha Brothers. The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that Pentagon and Rey Fenix were probably on their way out of the promotion, with the notion that they would probably land in WWE relatively soon. Fightful Select also reported that the popular tag team were expected to sign a WWE deal. Ironically, Pentagon rebutted the rumors on his Twitter page with the claim that he's currently with All Elite Wrestling.

All things considered, if Pentagon and Fenix were headed to the WWE, it's very doubtful that he would confirm the rumors online, especially if the team's current contract hasn't expired. Furthermore, it would also serve them well to deny the rumors, as the notion that they already have a contract offer waiting for them at the WWE might be considered contract tampering, which was the subject of debate a few years ago.

That said, it wouldn't be too surprising if the Lucha Brothers made the jump to WWE, mostly because they haven't been a spotlighted portion of AEW programming within the past few years, and they have only worked a handful of matches for the company within the past few months.

I think it would be fair to say that both brothers were individually and collectively underutilized in All Elite Wrestling, especially given their level of skill and the marketing potential of the characters. This is the same story that can be said about many on the All Elite roster, as repetitive as it is, it remains a continuous problem, as talented performers get lost in the shuffle of Tony Khan's quest to seemingly sign every qualified talent on the market. As I've mentioned before, just because a wrestler is good enough to be on national television, that alone isn't enough of a reason to throw a contract at them. Does that talent have a place in the organization and are there plans for them? If not, you have to question if there will be a significant return on the investment. However, we've seen numerous times that money is no object for Tony Khan, and being profitable isn't the top priority so the argument is moot. It seems that Tony wants to have certain talent on his roster just for the sake of being able to say they work for him. That's not necessarily meant as a knock, the more guys that can make a full-time living in the wrestling business the better, but the point remains that it creates a scenario where talented guys might waste years of their prime on the sidelines because Tony got distracted with his latest signing. Has anyone seen Ricky Starks lately?

As I've said before, I think the Lucha Brothers can be main event guys. They have the talent in the ring and a really cool persona that can be used to promote something unique among the current crowded pro wrestling landscape. When Pentagon had a run with the Impact championship years ago, it gave a glimpse of a formula that can work for an American audience. There were subtitles during video packages, and even now, a manager to translate for live promos are a way for him to be used in a variety of storylines. It worked in boxing and MMA for decades so I don’t think it’s too far outof the box, especially with the more sports-based presentation that the WWE is bringing to the table under the Triple H regime that the same concept couldn’t be used successfully under the WWE banner. It becomes even more of a possibility when you take into account the lucrative foreign markets for the TKO corporation, with the expansion of premium events outside of the United States. Rey Fenix, the younger of the two brothers, is spectacular in the ring. He's simply too talented to only be featured in a trios team when Pac decides to comeback from England once every few months.

Aside from the in-ring ability of the team, I'd say that Tony Khan has missed the boat on marketing the lucha tag team as well. Pentagon has such a cool mask design, the fact that it isn't used more prominently on merchandise is definitely a missed opportunity. Take this into consideration, given how the WWE machine advertises and and merchandises its talent, you can see the potential that the Lucha Brothers bring to the table in terms of generating revenue for an organization. Furthermore, we've seen how management continues to look to develop and promote lucha stars for the Hispanic audience, and this would be a chance for them to sign two lucha talents that already have experience working on American television.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Pentagon or Fenix would be the next stars to main event Wrestlemania, but All Elite Wrestling has such a disjointed presentation on a week-to-week basis that only a few names on the roster are truly safe from being lost in the shuffle. If they decide to make the jump, they would only be offered a deal if the office has at least an initial plan for them on either NXT or the main roster. This isn't to say that there's no where for them to go in All Elite, Tony Khan could make the decision to push them with high-profile matches with a turn of his charts or graphs, but the reality is, where are the Lucha Brothers right now? Again, they work a trios tag team when Pac decides to show up, and are mostly forgotten about after that. At this point, would it be a negative to at least explore their options?

As for if they will actually exit All Elite Wrestling, I can't really take a guess because that would completely depend on what they are looking for from their status in the sport. They could stay in All Elite Wrestling, a brand they've been familiar with for the past five years and thus continue to collect a good paycheck from a billionaire, or they could venture into the WWE, a new system, but get the chance at being bigger stars in the long run. Listen, I don't blame anyone for taking the money that's on the table, and similar to anything else, it's possible that Tony offers an amount of money that the brothers can't say no to so they opt to re-sign with AEW. While the odds of their decision are more or less 50/50, if they are going to test the waters in WWE, now is probably the time to do it, as Pentagon is almost 40 so he would still have time for at least a few prime years on the major stage. Fenix has more years ahead of him in theory, but if he would want to make the transition a few years from now would be a completely different situation.

The biggest takeaway, at least right now, of this story isn’t so much the eventual destination of one specific tag team, but rather that the trend of All Elite Wrestling stars, making the jump to WWE continues to play a role in the dynamics of the industry. Cody’s Return, and even CM Punk’s comeback to the WWE were still based more on their history with the promotion than their work in AEW.  However, Jade Cargill was an example of an AEW project that hit a ceiling there, but was made to look like a much bigger star in a much shorter amount of time under the WWE banner. The same can be said for Ethan Page, who is currently the NXT champion. If the Lucha Brothers were next to transition from AEW to WWE, it sends a message about the impression of each company in the future because some talent view WWE as a better option which is a very different dynamic than the industry had five years ago.

APWF event

The Allied powers wrestling Federation is bringing it unique brand of sports entertainment, one that looks too harvest the best talent from different organizations to present a unique mixture not seen anywhere else, to the Kastle Factory training center this Saturday. Along with the cream of the crop from independent groups throughout the Pittsburgh and central Pennsylvania area, former WWE tag team champion Henry Godwinn is scheduled as the special guest to sign autographs and take photos with fans.

“The APWF is a family friendly event and is for everyone.  We are very happy to bring pro wrestling to Johnstown and to the Kastle facility. You can expect great wrestling from only the best talent from around the area and beyond,” said Bubba Brewer.

Despite Saturday night's card being the debut event in Johnstown for the APWF organization, concept of longtime veteran, "Bad" Bubba Brewer, the independent league has a storied history that stretches back in various forms to 1998. Bubba Brewer, who has worked as a professional wrestler and promoter throughout the past 25 years, brought the brand back full-time this past June when NWA World Heavyweight champion Ethan Carter III defended the coveted belt against stellar athlete, "Big Time" Bill Collier.

In a truly unique example of the type of action, the APWF looks to establish as its benchmark, championships from different organizations were defended on the card that was held in Indiana, Pennsylvania. That night, Team Tap Out, the duo of Chris Coleman and Don Fulmer, had their last match as a team, giving them a proper sendoff after they were such a part of the fabric of the company in a previous era.

Very similar to how Indiana,  Pennsylvania was the chosen location for Team Tap Out’s final match as a pair, hometown turf will again be the setting for this Saturday’s event in Johnstown at the Kastle Factory, as the main event will see Bill Collier, who grew up in the area, step into the ring with NWA star, Spencer Slade.

Collier, who is the current IWC heavyweight champion, said in a video posted to social media that he understands the level of talent and skill his opponent possesses for this Saturday night, but plans to make the hometown fans proud, citing how special it is to get the chance to be in the main event in his hometown.

Also scheduled on the card that night, energetic upstart, Slammin' Sammy, a student of the Ryse Wrestling training center known as the Stronghold under the guidance of Pittsburgh legends, Dean Radford and Brandon K, will square off against Lexus Synn. These two female athletes are multi-versed in combat sports as Lexus Synn, who trained at the ICWA under the International Wrestling Cartel banner, has an extensive combat sports background. Along the same lines, Sammy competed in karate tournaments for several years before she transitioned to professional wrestling. Sammy began training to wrestle at just 15 years old and made her official wrestling debut earlier this year. All things considered, the women’s contest should be very evenly-matched and set the tone for who could be at the top of the women’s division going forward in the APWF.

"Sammy is the perfect example of hard work, dedication, and the will to succeed. In her young life she's already overcome so much to get where she is and there's no stopping her, she's a machine, said Dean Radford, A veteran of more than two decades and current trainer at the Stronghold Academy.

Another featured bout on the card will be an open challenge match from the villainous, David Lawless, an accomplished veteran with a devious reputation that proceeds him, particularly in his work as a lawyer outside of the ring. Lawless has won multiple championships in multiple organizations, putting himself in the conversation as one of the true staples of the western and central Pennsylvania scene. After Lawless arrogantly proclaimed that he would take on any opponent that wanted to answer the challenge, the APWF office received word that a mystery opponent answered the challenge of the corrupt lawyer.

Owner, Bubba Brewer was tight-lipped about who the mystery opponent was, only saying that it was a former APWF heavyweight champion that called the office to accept the open challenge from Lawless.

“Lawless is flawless! The Gavel is ready for anyone because this is where the best wrestle, and the Gavel is the best of them all,” proclaimed David Lawless.

With its mission statement to bring in a variety of talent from across the state at the August 24th presentation in Johnstown, fans  will see a slew of debuts for the organization as well. MV Young, who is based out of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, but has competed all across the country, will step into an APWF ring for the first time this Saturday Young is one of the driving forces behind 880 wrestling, an upstart league that launched a few years ago in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, which is also his hometown. The 880 project is specifically designed to train and develop aspiring hopefuls. in the wrestling business, as well as to provide an opportunity for anyone looking to achieve their goals in the sport. An example of that will also be on display for the APWF in the form of another series of debuts. Zeke Mercer, a six-year pro that broke into the business when they were just 18 years old, will bring their rugged and fast-paced style to the ring this Saturday. He will be joined by Paris Sahara, a dynamic young athlete that has already turned heads for her incredible agility, is also on the card. Amanda Maslow, their business advisor has promised big things from the group dubbed "The Matriarchy" when they arrive in Johnstown. One of the top groups of 880 Wrestling looks to make an impression in Johnstown this weekend.

Along with giving the fans their money's worth and providing quality pro wrestling action, Brewer wanted to use the APWF as an organization to impact the communities in a positive manner that hosts the events. For the event in June, a portion of the proceeds were donated to the Teddy Bear Fund of Indiana county. This time, Brewer wanted to contribute to the back-to-school efforts for the youngsters in the Johnstown area. Any fans that bring $10 worth of school supplies that will be donated to children in need, will receive a chance to win raffle for two free tickets to the company's return event in Johnstown on October 26th.

The event will bring a full card of action as The Rad Boys, arguably one of the best young teams on the independent circuit, Thomas Kennedy, Matt McCoy, Price Purgold, and many others In total, there will be talent from Pittsburgh, central Pennsylvania, Buffalo, .and of course, the legendardy former WWF tag team champion, Henry Godwinn, will be in attendance this Saturday for the APWF at the Kastle Factory in Johnstown.

Eddie P comic con

This past April, tragedy struck the comic book industry when critically-acclaimed artist, Ed Piskor passed away suddenly at the age of just 41. Piskor was a lifelong artist, doodling and sketching as early as the time he was first able to pick up a pencil. His childhood was spent in front of a large drawing table, where he would spend hours perfecting super heroes, monsters, and cosmic creatures. His family nurtured his gifts, setting up him with all the supplies he would need and a space to create in their Homestead home, a town located just a few miles south of Pittsburgh along the Monongahela River, one of the landmarks that the region is known for.

"My brother Ed has always been drawing. From the time he could hold a pencil, my parents encouraged him and supplied him with everything he needed to draw.  He used to draw his own X-Men comics.  He would create his own zines that he would sell at conventions," explained Bobby Piskor, who is affectionately known around the Pittsburgh scene as "Potter," a reference to the JK Rowling character. 

 

The entertainment gene runs in the family, as Bobby has worked as a professional wrestler, referee, trainer, and organizer throughout the past 25 years. So, it wasn't a surprise to Bobby or the rest of the Piskor family when Ed's artistic skills began to get noticed on a national and even international level as he poured himself into his sketch pad daily.

 

"We all knew that Eddie would make it.  It never changed who he was as a brother. I was so happy for all of his success. We were so proud of him and knew how hard he worked for his success," Bobby added.

Some of Piskor's most notable works included Hip Hop Tree House, a comic book series that was published in various forms over the years that covered the early years of the genre. The music-based narrative received accolades from The New York Times and The Washington Post, as well as winning an Eisner Award in 2015. After Ed turned pro in 2005, his portfolio overflowed with a slew of print media, as his sketch pad was the first step for designs that were featured magazine covers, online content, and a myriad of other forms of media.

As mentioned, with Bobby's extensive involvement in the world of professional wrestling, a genre that has a lengthy history in the Piskors' hometown, it wasn't uncommon for the grappling arts to be a topic of conversation in their household during their youth. In an homage to the enthusiasm that the brothers had for the pro wrestling industry, there were plans for a wrestling project from Ed.

"He loved wrestling, from an early age we watched wrestling as a family. Even in our teenage years we would attend local wrestling matches often.  One of his first big breaks came from a show on Adult Swim called Mongo Wrestling Alliance, where he designed all of the characters for the show. After he completed Hip Hop Family Tree, he was working on a wrestling project and was writing a story for a wrestling comic.  He would accompany me to various shows with Jim Rugg and Tom Scioli where they could see behind the scenes to authenticate the story. I’m sad this will never be finalized,” Bobby said.

Ed made his name in a very grass roots manner, providing his own distinctive flare and style to that art form that built him a steady fan following over the years. One of the most popular projects that Ed became involved in was when he teamed up with fellow Pittsburgh illustrator, Jim Rugg for a YouTube series titled Cartoonist Kayfabe, a nod to the  pro wrestling term used to describe the ability to maintain storylines for the audience. The video series brought the two cartoonist buddies together to discuss comic book history, artistic style, and a breakdown of the overall presentation of each book. The behind-the-scenes aspect of two professional illustrators bringing their conversations to the fans became a wildly popular series on the YouTube platform.Today, as a tribute to Ed’s legacy and passion for comics, the Cartoonist Kayfabe library, which consist of nearly 2000 videos, remains online to educate and inspire artists in the future.

“His YouTube channel, Cartoonist Kayfabe was a show he and Jim Rugg created.  It blew up into a very popular show where they would deep dive into comics and artists, Bobby said.

As mentioned, Ed’s sudden passing in April of this year hit the comic industry very hard as many still struggle with the loss of an underground artist that made it big, but always maintained his independent spirit and style for the genre. In a shining example of how things came full circle for the artist was in 2017 when he began work on X-Men Grand Design, and the project remains one of his most acclaimed works even today. The youngster that sat at a drafting table and created his own X-Men comics as an example of his love for the art form went on to become a professional actually illustrating and shaping the direction of X-Men comics to inspire others to chase their cartoonist dreams .

With that in mind, Bobby and the Piskor family wanted to continue to allow his legacy to provide a platform and to inspire the next generation of artists. This Saturday in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, not far from Ed’s childhood home, the first Eddie P Comic Con will be held in his honor, with comic books, collectibles, music, t-shirts, and other merchandise for sale from vendors. Of course, there will be several artists in attendance to showcase their work, the same way a young Eddie did at conventions when he was searching for his big break in the industry. There will also be a raffle with the proceeds going to the suicide prevention hotline.

“My brother loved young underground artists. So, we wanted to give a platform for these artists to get seen and be get noticed, Also. my family and I will be doing a very special Q&A hosted by West Coast Davengers. Jim Rugg and Bryan Moss, will be on the panel as well,” Bobby explained.

Many of Eddie’s friends and peers will be in attendance, but there were also be a very special guest from the world of professional wrestling at the comic con as well. Henry Godwinn, former two-time WWF tag team champion, will be making a rare appearance to sign autographs and take photos with fans.

“My brother was one of the hardest working people I knew.  His passion for comics and art will never be duplicated.   He lived his life by his own set of rules.  He will truly be missed not only by us, but the entire world,” concluded Bobby Piskor

The Pittsburgh card show

A trio of WWE legends will join other sports stars for a special appearance this weekend for the Pittsburgh Card Show at the Washington Crown Center Mall. The card show, which runs events a few times a year, brings with it hundreds of vendors of sports merchandise, as extended rows of tables line the interior of the mall with everything from casual stacks of current card packs to rare graded cards that are sought after by the most diehard collectors. The once struggling retail space in the mall sees an uptick in business as hundreds of sports fans browse the selection of cards, jerseys, and other memorabilia.

Of course, Pittsburgh is a city that is known for its wrestling almost as much as the steel it once produced so its fitting that a few WWE Hall of Famers will be hosted that weekend, with their specific vendors thrilled to be able to bring them to the event to meet with the incredibly loyal wrestling fan base of the region.

In this case, ATD Promotions, a group that represents stars for appearances around Pittsburgh and throughout the mid west, the Pittsburgh Card show became a regular stop for them on their busy calendar in recent years, with rare appearances from Koko B. Ware and One Man Gang at the trade show in the past. This time, ATD secured another rare appearence for steel city fans, as former WWF Women's Champion, Wendi Richter will be their guest on Saturday August 17th from 10 AM-3 PM at Washington Crown Center.

Anthony D'Alfonso, a Pittsburgh native, launched ATD Promotions with his longtime friend and business partner, Mike Rickard, who owns a vintage toy and collectible shop, Wild Card Video Games, in Niles, Ohio. I had a chance to talk with Anthony last Friday when his crew brought Marty Jannetty, Tatanka, and Gillberg to the D&E Collectibles store just outside of Pittsburgh. Anthony cited a busy weekend ahead of him, but expressed excitement for the Pittsburgh Card Show, as it has become somewhat of a trademark of his promotional group to bring in stars for rare appearances that usually don't visit the northeast.

As we know, Wendi Richter, one of the original staples of the Rock N' Wrestling era of the early-80s, has kept a relatively low profile since she retired from the ring, with only a few selection autograph signings.

Richter, who broke into the business under the tutelage of The Fabulous Moolah in the late-1970s, spent the formative years of her career zigzagging around the territories, or the regional system that had different organizations that were located in different parts of the country, to hone her craft. She made stops in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling, Bill Watts' Mid-South group, and Verne Gagne's AWA promotion before she landed a major break, signing with the WWF in late-1983.

When Hulkamania propelled the concept of sports entertainment into the main stream, Wendi Richter was the female face of pro wrestling in pop culture, as pop icon Cyndi Lauper was her ringside manager. In a memorable highlight, Richter and Lauper celebrated her championship victory when she won the WWF Women's title at the inaugural Wrestlemania. Their friendship led to Richter being included in one of Lauper's music videos.

A contract dispute with management about fair compensation led to Wendi's abrupt exit from the WWF, but she spent the rest of the late-80s wrestling internationally and then returned to Gagne's AWA before the organization folded. Disenfranchised with how the women were compensated and promoted in the wrestling industry, Wendi stepped away from the sport for several years. Thankfully, she accepted a WWE Hall of Fame induction in 2010 and is celebrated today as one of the pioneers of the female division in professional wrestling.

Joining Wendi Richter at the Washington Crown Center this Saturday will be a pair of other legends, hosted by the Wilder Side of Sports group, an autograph and memorabilia company that works with major stars from many different sports for events throughout the country. Names like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ja'Marr Chase, Tom Glavine, and many others are on their upcoming calendar for either private or public signings.

"My entry into the world of pro athletes began with planning and hosting sports card and memorabilia shows. This opened doors to organizing private signings with stars like Elly De La Cruz and Alex Rodriguez. I've also had the privilege of working with wrestling legends on signings, such as Torrie Wilson, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Jim Ross, and Ric Flair. One of my coolest experiences was having lunch with Bo Jackson," said Jim Falbo, the Vice President of Wilder Side of Sports.

This weekend, the legendary Jake "The Snake" Roberts and the legendary "Mouth of The South" Jimmy Hart will be in attendance for Wilder Side of Sports at The Pittsburgh Card show on Saturday from 10 AM-5 PM and on Sunday from 9 AM-3 PM for autographs and photo-ops.

Roberts is a performer as mysterious and as controversial as he is legendary. He was one of the most popular stars of the 80s, with a level of ring psychology and interview style that very few had during that era. A rocky period in his life saw him exit the WWF in the early-90s before he landed in WCW for a brief stint, had a memorable run in AAA in Mexico, and event a few cameo appearances in ECW. Thankfully, with the help of his friend and fellow Hall of Famer, "Diamond" Dallas Page several years ago, Roberts reemerged in the public spotlight as healthy as he had ever been in his career. He went on to work as an advisor for Lance Archer in All Elite Wrestling in recent years.

"I enjoyed watching matches on TV when I was a kid, the characters were larger than life. As I got older, I drifted away from it, but my interest was reignited when I worked for Homage. While at Homage, I was given tickets from our partners to attend several WWE events in Pittsburgh. The matches were fun and the atmosphere was exciting. My daughter, Audrey, loved them too, and we had a blast playing wrestling together. She became a huge WWE fan, and now it's our thing—we're working our way through every Royal Rumble from the first one to the latest. Right now, we're on 2001, and it's been an amazing journey. She's excited to meet Jake and Jimmy," explained Falbo.

Jimmy Hart has spent nearly 50 years in the wrestling business, known as one of the greatest managers and most memorable characters in the history of the sport. He has shared a ring with the legendary comedian Andy Kaufman in Memphis, Hulk Hogan in both the WWE and WCW, The Giant before he went on to become The Big Show, and many others. With his trademark sunglasses and airbrushed jacket, Jimmy Hart still enthusiastic about all facets of the sports entertainment business.  

"Get ready for an unforgettable experience with Jimmy and Jake at the card show! These two are known for their charisma and being incredibly fan-friendly. Jimmy and Jake thrive on fan interaction, sharing amazing stories from their careers, and ensuring every fan leaves with a memorable experience. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just getting into the sport, their appearance will highlight an unforgettable wrestling era." concluded Falbo.

Pittsburgh benefit event returns

This Saturday, the Pittsburgh wrestling world will join forces, as talent from every major independent group in the region will come together for what has become the steel city’s super show of the year for the fourth edition of Stomp Out Cancer, a fundraiser that donates 100% of the event’s proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

The efforts to put together this annual event began in 2017 when Matt and Kenny Tressler, two brothers that focused their fandom and passion for professional wrestling toward a cause close to their hearts. Matt and Kenny are two of the most familiar faces on the independent scene, attending events on a near weekly basis for more than twenty five years. Over those nearly three decades, the brothers have worked in a variety of roles for nearly every local organization and developed friendships with several performers. Promotional materials, commentary, ticket tables, merch tables, and work as organizers of live cards are all on their extensive resume. Quite simply, the Tresslers became as known around the circuit as many of the athletes that had matches in the ring. They recruited their longtime friend, who they often cite as one of their brothers, Jesse Forney to design all the graphics and marketing campaign for the charitable cause. Jesse has built websites and designed posters for several independent groups and has been in the industry nearly as long as the Tresslers. Their Freebird-type faction poured their efforts into the fight against cancer, as the disease has such a devastating impact on so many from all walks of life.

Sadly, very similar to many people, cancer had a profound impact upon the Tressler family. Matt and Kenny’s mom was diagnosed with cancer in late-2011 and passed away shortly afterwards at the age of just 54. Mrs. Tressler was always known as a very caring lady, something she displayed often in her career as a nurse before her untimely passing so the brothers wanted to use the avenue of sports entertainment to honor her memory, as well as contribute to those that battle the terrible illness today.

As mentioned, the project was launched in 2017 and immediately became a must-see event for the loyal crowds of the Pittsburgh area. Over the course of the three annual events, an all-star cast of Pittsburgh talent, as well as guest stars, put on memorable performances all in the name of a noble cause, to stomp out cancer. Names like Lee Moriarty, Dennis Gregory, Troy Lords, The Mane Event, Chase Owens, Shirley Doe, Chris Hamrick, Dominic DeNucci, and numerous others have appeared on behalf of the Stomp Out Cancer efforts.

“Stomp out cancer has always been a top priority show for me to be apart of. In my life, I’ve lost two family members to cancer and friend of the family that was like a father figure to me. I’m just happy to help raise money for cancer research and hopefully one day we can finally stomp out cancer,” said Ronnie Starks, pesky ringside manager that has been a staple of the tri-state area for several years.

As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic that hit in early-2020 shuttered the entire world, with a profound effect on the pro wrestling business at every level. National organizations paused their live touring schedules in favor of closed set tapings with the safety nets of hefty television contracts to maintain their companies. For independent groups, ticket sales are such a critical part of a successful business plan that the concept of no audience for events wasn't financially realistic. Only a handful of live cards were held in the Pittsburgh area during the pandemic with limited capacity and accommodations made for safety protocols.

Obviously, the jam-packed audiences that support the Stomp Out Cancer project are what allow funds to be donated to The American Cancer Society from the ticket sales so without the option to safely run events with as many fans as possible, the Stomp Out Cancer series went on a hiatus to make sure that the event could maximize its contribution to the research efforts to combat the disease.

It wasn't until 2022 that the Pittsburgh circuit truly began to emerge from the pandemic, and it took each organization a period of time to get back on its feet with regular events to bring back its usual fan base. Now, the Pittsburgh area is thriving, with live matches held by a variety of organizations almost every weekend. Stomp Out Cancer will be the only event that will bring grapplers together from all of those stellar organizations. The International Wrestling Cartel, Prospect Pro Wrestling, Renegade Wrestling Alliance, Ryse Wrestling, and others will all be represented on the card.

After five years away, Stomp Out Cancer:The Reboot is looking to bring back the biggest and most important event of the year for Pittsburgh wrestling. Organizers, staff, and the grapplers are anticipating the return of the fundraiser.

"I took a  six-year sabbatical from the wrestling business, and in that time a group of the first guys that I met and befriended in wrestling put together these three benefit shows. I’ve popped in and out a few times since then, but considered myself retired until I was asked to participate in this year’s event. This is going to be meaningful for a few reasons. First and foremost, it’s for a great cause. I’ve lost people I love to cancer and am more than happy to give my time and some personal donations towards cancer research. Aside from that, it’s a great way to give back to some guys that have supported me since the beginning," said Dash Bennett, a former cornerstone of the NWA-East group that will lace up his boots one more time to return to the ring for the good cause.

"Stomp Out Cancer is a show that I greatly appreciate and support. The reason being that my grandmother was diagnosed with liver cancer back in Mid 2012. After fighting a tough battle, she passed in December 2012. So this show, it’s a memorial and a big support to Stomp Out Cancer," added Tad Jarvis, one half of the current Ryse Tag Team champions.

The August 17th card will be held in Uniontown, PA as well-respected veteran grappler Brandon K donated the use of his Ryse Wrestling venue, a converted Sears building in the Uniontown Mall, to host the event. With dozens of athletes slated to appear on the card, Stomp Out Cancer:The Reboot will be the biggest in the fundraiser’s history, a project that donated nearly $11,000 total to the cause over the course of three stellar events with hopes of raising the biggest funds yet for The American Cancer Society this year.

GCW review

As promised, I wanted to write a column about the experience of Game Changer Wrestling live from last weekend, when I attended Summer Slam in Cleveland with the great Pat Maclaughlin. I follow GCW on a regular basis, watching most of their main shows online, but didn't get a chance to see the brand in person. Pat, who got permission from his boss, Mrs. Mac to take a weekend wrestling trip to pro wrestling prosperity, made the suggestion to pick up GCW tickets. So, as I mentioned in the write-up about Summer Slam earlier this week, we departed western Pennsylvania early Friday afternoon to venture into enemy territory that night.

GCW is in somewhat of an odd position on the totem pole of the pro wrestling landscape, as it tours and draws crowds throughout different parts of the country, albeit on a smaller scale, but the brand still manages to draw fans on both coasts. I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to say that Game Changer Wrestling is the top independent group in the United States, especially since PWG has been dormant for more than a year. At the same time, it's still a very indy league and all things considered, I'm not sure how much further up the ladder the group could move in terms of influence or drawing power. In some ways, the Hammerstein event from early-2022 put a ceiling on the company's progress, as the mixed reviews and timing issues almost implied that the stage was too big for the organization.

None of that is meant as a knock, I'm just not sure of the stain power or influence the group will continue to have throughout the rest of 2024. Three years ago, Matt Cardona's foray into death matches got people talking, and beyond just the violence, it was an intriguing scenario. Rickey Shane Page, who is a vastly underrated talent, had a very memorable feud with Nick Gage that again, gave context to the violence. Furthermore, Jon Moxley's involvement in GCW, especially when he clearly wasn't doing it from the money, considering he was All Elite Wrestling champion at the time, was another interesting draw to the product. Cardona is technically still on the injured list, RSP parted ways with Game Changer Wrestling a few years ago, and Moxley was a temporary drawing card for the company, given his schedule.

I'm not really sure GCW has been able to recapture that spark since the Hammerstein show, despite solid events with entertaining wrestling. I'm also not sure if a potential retread of a Cardona/Gage bout, which was theoretically set up at the conclusion of this Cleveland event, will bring a boost with it unless there's some type of swerve to add a new element into the mix, which is possible.

The event was held at the Cleveland Masonic Temple, which made me think of The Simpsons episode with a catchy tune about the existence of the New World Order in Springfield. As I mentioned in the prior write-up, the venue looks rather nondescript on the outside, but after you go through the main entrance, there's a really neat lobby and a cool set up with a stage and balcony seating for what usually runs as a concert hall. Before the show, I didn't see any evidence of the Illuminati, but had the chance to meet Cardona, Matt Hardy, and Maki Ithoh. Everyone was very polite. Cardona, who is almost as famous, if not more famous for his action figure collection than his wrestling, got a laugh when I told him that my young nephew has tried to open some of my signed figures before. Thankfully, I was able to make the save before any of the autographs were destroyed by the toddler. Matt Hardy was impressed with the rare 1 of 500 AEW figure I had for him to sign, and Maki was very thankful that the fans wanted to meet her.

I could write a match-by-match breakdown on the show, but that would be a repetitive read, mostly because, while a very fun night of live wrestling, the presentation of the event itself had some very repetitive moments. Perhaps it was the regulations of the state of Ohio, but for whatever reason, there were nearly a dozen doors used and a myriad of chairs throughout most of the matches, even for the bouts that didn't need either of those gimmicks. Furthermore, the ring crew stuffed the same chairs back under the ring throughout the show so when a chair was going to be used later in the night, it was often already destroyed and it led to a few flat moments when the talent had to search for another chair to set up the spot.

In terms of quality, the show was a mixed bag, but overall, it was a very fun night experience. Sonny Kiss made a surprise appearance to have a short, but solid match against Allie Katch. Sonny's athleticism was very impressive, and I'm not sure if a return to AEW will be in the cards because she would probably just get lost in the shuffle again, but she definitely has the talent to perform on a national stage. The former Reggie of WWE fame, Sidney Akeem beat GCW mainstay, Gringo Loco in a 10-minute lucha sprint that was very entertaining. This wasn't exactly my cup of tea since it had a few of the spots that looked way too choreographed, but again, the pure athleticism and skill were very impressive. Speaking of lucha, there was a six man tag later in the night that was fun, but it was very similar to the standard tag match that opened the show so as the night progressed, the presentation became more homogenized.

Zilla Fatu, the son of the late, great Umaga, beat Ohio standout, Josh Bishop in a very physical match. There were some hard-hitting strike exchanges and some brutal shots to the head with pieces of doors throughout this contest. Zilla is a puppy with big paws so to speak, and while there are no guarantees, especially this early in his career, he definitely looks to have potential for a bright future. The former Jinder Mahal, Raj Dhesi worked a match against GCW favorite, Effy. This segment was fine for what it was, but it wasn't anything too spectacular. This was an example of Dhesi being put through a door that didn't really add anything to the match. It was a DQ finish when the Bollywood Boyz reunionited with Mahal. I'm guessing this segment had more to do with the set up of a future storyline than anything else, which is fine because as mentioned, angles have been rather sparse in GCW. There was a four-way big man bout that was fine, but if it wasn't on the show, it wouldn't have made a major difference.

At one point, Matt Cardona, who is currently the General Manager, trolled the audience, implying that Chelsea Green was going to be a surprise appearence for the company. It was very well done because the diehard GCW fan base knew that Green was in town with the WWE and they bought it. I've never seen Pat more thrilled than in the moment when he thought he would get the chance to see Chelsea in person. Joey Janela was scheduled to compete against a mystery opponent, but couldn't appear on the card. On the flip side, GCW champion, Mance Warner, who is a very good performer that is really evolving in the role, was also scheduled to compete against a mystery opponent. Matt Justice, a former staple of the company, was the competitor to answer the open challenge. While Justice is a wild man that fits the GCW brand, he didn't work for the company is over a year before this so I don't know how invested the live crowd was when they knew that there wasn't a chance that there was going to be a title switch. Speaking of GCW's diehard audience, this is where it came back to bite the group somewhat, as Justice has used Rob Van Dam's ECW theme in the past to pay homage to the company that inspired him, but it was out of sight, out of mind so to speak since Justice had an extended absence from GCW. Again, the fans knew that RVD was in Cleveland for the Wrestle Con convention, and when the music hit, I think most assumed it was going to be the former ECW champion.

The Mance/Justice bout was fine, but this was the point in the show where all the doors and chairs just got rather bland after they were already used numerous times earlier in the night. Mance retained the belt. Blake Christian and Shane Mercer beat Los Macizos in a six-minute tag match. Similar to the big man bout, this tag match was fine, but if it would've been scrapped from the card, there wouldn't have been a major difference in the overall quality of the show. Maki Itoh is very over with the audience, but there's not much to say about the five-minute match against John Wayne Murdoch, as it simply didn't have enough time to get to second gear or build to the conclusion.

Nick Gage has some rightfully critics, but there's absolutely no denying how over he is with the GCW fan base. He got one of the biggest reactions of the night and the audience was legitimately invested in him as the face of the company. That said, he was very limited in what he did in this match, especially without a variety of gimmicks to use to enhance his character. Matt Hardy is in great shape, and given TNA's working relationship with NXT, I wouldn't be too surprised if he resurfaces there. There wasn't much too this match and the finish was somewhat flat when interference from Cardona caused it to be declared a no contest. In a post-match promo, a tag match between Gage and Hardy vs. Cardona and Jimmy Lloyd was set up for an event later this month.

Overall, it was definitely worth attending the show live and the atmosphere adds a lot to the experience. The only downside is, similar to the conflicting nature of GCW's status among the wrestling landscape, the event had a somewhat conflicting presentation. There were a variety of styles booked for the card, but there were a lot of repetitive weapons used throughout those matches.