The career of Lexus Synn

"What was going through my head, was a lot of emotions since my family and friends were coming. So, that’s a lot of pressure then on top of that, the pressure from my coaches and fellow wrestlers. I was the last to debut in my class and I had something to prove. What I mean by that is, I was told my whole life I couldn’t do this, but I knew this was the only thing I could do."

Just over a year ago, Lexus Synn, a muy thai practicier for the previous several years, sat in one of the locker rooms of the Washington Wild Things Stadium, a minor league baseball park located southwest of Pittsburgh. As she taped up her hands and secured her kick pads over her brand new wrestling boots, she prepared herself for her official debut in professional wrestling, a sport that she had always saw herself as a part of from earlier in her youth.

"When I was standing in gorilla, I do this little pace of mine before every match, which in my mind gets me in the zone and into my character. So, when I bust through the curtain, Lexus Synn arrives," she explained.

On that September night for the IWC's Base Brawl event, quite literally under the bright lights of the park ball, one of the most unique female talents of the Pittsburgh scene began her journey as a professional wrestler. With her distinct ginger hair parted to one side and her mouth guard peeking through a sneer, it took just five minutes for Lexus Synn discard her opponent, realizing her dream to be a professional wrestler.

Still, those five minutes inside the ring ropes on the field had much more time behind them. Lexus had spent the several months prior under much less glamour circumstances to learn the ropes of the genre. A direct contrast of the lights of a baseball stadium, Lexus learned her craft at the ICWA training academy, a converted storage unit that takes a no frills approach to prepare the next generation to be as safe as possible in the ring, a squared circle that had unpainted drywall on each side as a reminder of the serious curriculum of the grappling arts.

When she stepped into the ring on that first day of training, two longtime, well-respected, and accomplished veterans were there to pass their knowledge to the next generation of aspiring hopefuls.

Glenn Spectre, who was the first "gaijin," or foreigner to win the DDT Tag Team titles in Japan in the early-2000s, spent the early years of his career traveling the east coast before a pair of tours in Japan in 2004 and 2005 respectively. A few years later, after wrestling on nearly a full-time basis for his entire career to that point, Glenn decided to step away from the sport. It wasn't until the pandemic shut the world down in 2020 that Glenn began to dip his toe in the water of sports entertainment again, deciding to make a full-fledged comeback three years ago. One of the motivating factors for him was that he wanted to be able to give back to the industry as a trainer for future performers. Bobby Piskor, affectionately known as  "Potter" for his resemblance to the JK Rowling character, has been involved with the professional wrestling business for the majority of his life, breaking in as a website designer at the age of just 15. Within the nearly 25 years since that time, Bobby has been a wrestler, referee, trainer, and organizer for various organizations. While Glenn has recently pursued more in-ring appearances on his own, Bobby remains the head trainer of the ICWA school and is one of the head organizers of the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the longest-running groups in the area.

The two veterans also share a common bond, as they were both students of the late, great James Fawcett, who competed as masked grappler, Devil Bhudakahn for nearly a decade before his sudden passing in 2007. Fawcett was 32 years old.

"The experience I had training to be a professional wrestler was a great experience because I had the brains of Glenn Spectre and Bobby Williams that worked with both sides of the business. Both of these coaches that I consider family, these two wanted our class to be our very best since we were their first class. I was one of the ones who would work with Spectre when we were drilling and with that, I knew he wanted to push me from that day on. Every time he would push me to be my very best. With Bobby, he would encourage me to test stuff outside of my comfort zone, which I believe helped me grow as a person," Lexus commented.

"Lexus has been such a great student, she has always been open to learning new things.  She would always be one of the first to show up to practice and one of the last to leave," said Piskor

Along with her gym regiment, Lexus brought years of Muy Thai lessons into the training academy, practicing combat sports under the direction of Devin Mazik at Superfly MMA in Weirton, West Virginia since 2018.

"He taught me the ropes of boxing, ground wrestling, and Muay Thai, which I fell in love with. From then on, I did my own research on the sport itself with how it started. There was the pure violence behind it, but within that violence was this beautiful art form in Thailand," Lexus said.

With a combat sports background already solidified in her skill set and the lessons she learned on the canvas of the pro ring, Lexus Synn took the tri-state area by storm in many ways. Her unique look and powerful persona makes her standout almost immediately, even within the over-the-top world of sports entertainment. She showed a natural poise in the ring, as she spent the past year zigzagging around the tri-state area. Sometimes, she finds herself aligned with trainer Spectre and her fellow classmates to form the villainous faction, The Troublemakers in the West Virginia-based Victory Championship Wrestling organization.

"I wouldn’t change anything, I’ve gotten to wrestle some of the best from Ray Lyn, Zoey Skye, and Katie Arquette. These are all people I’ve sat watching behind the barricade. Seeing all these opportunities I’ve been getting through hard work and just showing up and assisting when needed, I wouldn’t have met so many amazing people that I consider great friends. I’m grateful for every opportunity," Synn said.

"Lexus Synn’s biggest asset is her credibility as a fighter. She seems like she can hold her own in most any combat style, from Muay Thai to mat wrestling to probably even bare knuckle boxing. She is a fierce competitor , who seems like she likes getting hit as much as she likes hitting people. But, I guarantee she will hit you harder. I’m glad I haven’t made her mad yet, added Declan Finnegan, color analyst for the VCW broadcast team.

Aside from tedious process of landing on the stiff canvas repeatedly to learn how to do so as safely as possible as a trainee, and now the in-ring mayhem as a pro competitor, Lexus was able to not only find role models through professional wrestling, she also found a sense of belonging within the spectacle of the sport.

"As someone who is built bigger than most women growing up, I only had a few idols, Chyna and Beth Pheonix are two great examples. I grew up watching them and wanting to be big and strong like them because I wasn’t drawn to the divas. I never wanted to be a diva, I always wanted to be a professional wrestler. So then the first Mae Young Classic starts, and I was in awe of all of the talent women in the tournament, but two stuck out to me, Shayna Baszler and Rhea Ripley," Lexus commented.

In an example of something that is unique to professional wrestling, last month when Summer Slam was hosted in Cleveland, a two and a half hour trip from Western Pennsylvania, Lexus' family surprised her with meet and greet tickets for one of her idols as a birthday gift. DC Comics fans can't meet the fictional Wonder Woman character from the printed pages, but Lexus was going to get a chance to meet one of her heroes, Rhea Ripley in person.

"I look to my right and this door swings open, and Rhea is getting ready to come out for the meet and greet. Now it’s starting to set in the woman who encouraged me to be who I am, the women who inspires me, not only in the ring, but in real life as well is about five feet from me. I get closer to the curtain, in my brain I’m like I’m not going to cry… but man if I tell you as soon as I saw her that went out the window. She wasn’t on just my tv screen anymore but in living color. So then it’s my turn, I immediately ask for a hug because as I said before she’s done so much for me and I know she’s done the same for others and it’s very inspiring and in that moment that was the only thing that felt right as a “thank you”. So I get my hug and I had a birthday sash on and she noticed she told me happy birthday we took our picture, I was getting pushed out fast by the workers but I told her thank you for everything and as soon as I walked away I started crying. I was crying not because I was upset, but because I just got meet someone who doesn’t know how much they inspire me," Lexus explained.

Lexus cited everything from getting the chance to practice at open ring nights to eventually getting signed to a WWE contract as goals she has for the future. Regardless of the platform, Lexus pursues each goal with the same level of dedication and determination. Prehaps, that's the biggest take away from her brand new career in the pro wrestling business, she dared to dream, to chase her goals, and through enough hard work, she was already able to check a few boxes off of the list. It remains to be seen if Lexus Synn makes it to the national stage, but given her goals as a youngster and the pursuit of those goals, in many respects, she's already a success story. 

VHS Memoirs volume 35

Today marks 25 years since ECW held its Anarchy Rulz pay-per-view outside of Chicago in front of a record-setting crowd of 6,000 fans. In the quarter century that has passed, the pro wrestling industry continued to evolve with some positives and negatives for the business, depending on perspective, of course. Still, as much as Extreme Championship Wrestling was very much a product of its time and place, and it had to be to make the impact that it did on the sport, it's usually a fun viewing experience to watch these vintage shows again for these reviews. While there are elements that wouldn't translate to today, neither in style or presentation, it's ironic that there are aspects of the 90s product that could still work and probably still be used in the modern era.

The pay-per-view broadcast opened with Masato Tanaka arriving at the building, and he's interrupted by Jeff Jones, who the Japanese star pushes out of the way to enter the building. Jones concluded the segment with a warning, which was a foreshadowing moment for what this show is ultimately remembered for the most, when Mike Awesome joins the ECW world title match later in the night.

The opening match was Jerry Lynn/Lance Storm, and not only was this one of the best matches that you were going to see on pay-per-view in the United States during this time period, it was probably one of the best matches in the entire history of ECW. The first portion of that statement might seem a little mundane, but it had a level of cache, as the pay-per-view line-ups for professional wrestling were full during that era. There were monthly PPVs from WWF and WCW, with ECW running six pay-per-view cards that year. Sometimes, depending on what time frame and what promotion is being discussed, under card matches were almost viewed as an afterthought since each promotion understandably tried to promote as much sizzle as possible to sway fans on their decision to spend their PPV dollars on any given month. Even now, the audience has a specific "wrestling budget" as far as what they're going to spend on tickets, merchandise, etc. Obviously, when Peacock offers access to monthly cards for $5, it's an easier decision for fans to subscribe, but in the late-90s, PPV revenue, regardless of the split with cable providers, was a top priority for each promotion.

Sure, Steve Austin brawling in the crowd and dramatically overcoming the odds against The Corporation was very entertaining television, and Goldberg smashing his way through the NWO was fun, but in terms of bell-to-bell action, the bouts of substance standout in retrospect. This Storm/Lynn match was a tremendous combination of technical skills and ring psychology to deliver a performance that wisely contrasted the typical mayhem you'd expect from ECW. Everything they did was crisp and smooth, their technical sequences are often poetry in motion. There was fast-paced action, but they took the time to properly sell to maximize the effectiveness of the narrative, which is something that is often missing in the current sports entertainment landscape. For the majority of this contest, Lynn had the infamously taped ribs and any time he would get any momentum, Storm would attack the ribs to halt the offense from the baby face. The finish saw Storm land a knee to the ribs as Lynn hit the ropes and secured a cradle pin to get the sudden victory.

Unfortunately, from there we're reminded of why the often entertaining chaos of ECW had a very fine line of when it could go off the rails. Simon Diamond cut a promo about finding a tag partner only to be interrupted by Jazz, who for whatever reason, Simon orders Tom Marquez, House of Hardcore student, to attack in the ring for something that wasn't a match, but rather just a series of spots. When Jazz gets the upper hand on Marquez, who would later be named The Prodigy, Tony DeVito joins in to attack Jazz from ringside. This was before Da Baldies were formed so this segment had a rather flat Simon Diamond promo that didn't really have a point, an attack from an unknown Tom Marquez and then an attack from an almost equally unknown Tony DeVito. Nova and Chris Chetti made the save and then a tag match between Simon/Devito and Nova/Chetti officially started. I'm not sure where Tom Marquez wandered off to. About a minute or so into the tag match, Chetti partially slipped on a t-shirt that was in the ring before he landed a lionsault. Despite watching the spot a second time, I still couldn't tell exactly what happened, but Chetti was injured to the point that he could barely move, dragging himself to the corner and staying there until he was helped backstage. I'm not sure if it was a knee injury from the slip or a different injury on the landing, but it definitely didn't look good. I'm not sure if what happened next was an audible or if it was simply moved up, but Danny Doring and Roadkill ran in to attack the three remaining wrestlers in the tag match. After that, more or less every preliminary wrestler in the building got to make a cameo on pay-per-view before New Jack showed up to clear the ring with his signature segment. I'm not exactly sure what the original destination of this was or if this was the plan to shoehorn as many people onto the show as possible, but it was completely disjointed and more or less just a waste of time.

Thankfully, the card picked up from here with the ECW traditional three-way dance between Yoshihiro Tajiri, Super Crazy, and Little Guido. Yes, this was a card that Paul Heyman overplayed way too often in retrospect, but in a vacuum, this represented the extreme brand very well. This match had stiff strikes, technical exchanges, and some insane dives. At one point, Tajiri lands an Asai moonsault quite literally in the front row of seat before Super Crazy nailed an incredible top rope moonsault to the floor. As graceful as the cruiser weights were in WCW, you just weren't going to see this type of stuff on the Turner network. At one point, Crazy has Tajiri in a camel clutch and then Guido applies a version of the Boston crab at the same time, which was another example of the innovative stuff that the company had at the time. Eventually, Guido was in the tree of woe before a baseball slide from Tajiri and then a moonsault from Super Crazy eliminated him from the bout. It made sense to give the audience another showdown between Crazy and Tajiri on pay-per-view because while this pairing was overused, it was one of the best acts that the company had in 1999, just behind the hype that the Rob Van Dam/Jerry Lynn series had. This portion of the contest had the fast-paced high impact sequences you'd expect from these two, with similar  action to the Storm/Lynn spots that were poetry in motion earlier in the night. When Crazy went for another moonsault, Tajiri got the boots up to counter, landed a series of kicks, and then a brain buster to get the win.

Sabu vs. Justin Credible was next, and speaking of poetry in motion, in a completely reckless type of way, it can't be understated how graceful and destructive Sabu was in his prime. If you wanted a match that encapsulated a peak example of what Sabu brought to the table, this was a highlight reel segment. He hit the leg lariats off the ropes, put Justin Credible through a table with a leg drop to the floor, and nailed the trademark triple jump moonsault. On the other hand, the way that he crashed from the top rope to the concrete floor on more than one occasion, it can make you cringe with the benefit of hindsight. Credible was bleeding about halfway through the contest, and I couldn't tell exactly what happened, but it seemed like Sabu might've legitimately been sliced with a piece of the table during one of the dives to the floor as he favored his midsection throughout a portion of the match, but it wasn't used for any sequences. Credible nailed a dive through a table on the ramp way before he did a rather odd flying DDT spot through a table in the corner. The finish saw the two reverse the tombstone before Credible landed it on a chair to get a rare pin against Sabu. I know in the years since ECW folded, the Justin Credible push to the world title in the latter stages of the company was debated, but if nothing else, you have to give Heyman credit, he gave Justin Credible the type of push that could be used for a main event run. 

It's somewhat ironic that this pay-per-view is historically known as the night that Taz dropped the title, more or less confirming his rumored exit from the company because in many respects, this event also marked the conclusion of the peak of ECW as a company. The Dudley Boys left the month prior, Shane Douglas went to WCW a few months before that, and Sabu would be gone from the promotion within six months. Granted, we'll see Raven later in the card, but his extreme pit stop was only to act as a buffer between WCW and WWF. As often became the case in ECW, someone was leaving to make considerably better money elsewhere so Paul Heyman had to adjust to a shrinking talent pool, specifically in terms of star power. Mike Awesome had worked for ECW the previous year, importing his FMW feud with Tanaka to the United States, which was repetitive, but also very wise, as it was a proven formula that worked. The impromptu three-way dance was set up when Mike Awesome showed up at ringside with Jeff Jones, demanding a title shot. Taz, being the fighting champion that he was, invited Awesome in the ring to join the contest. Just a few minutes into the match, Taz gets hit with a rolling elbow from Tanaka and then a top rope splash from Awesome to get eliminated. Despite the smart mark ECW crowd that knew the dirt on Taz's impending departure to the WWF, the crowd still seemed surprised that he was actually eliminated, which was one of the benefits that ECW had within the chaos of the company, you really never knew what might happen. The Awesome/Tanaka portion of the match was basically every bout between the pair that you've seen, and that's not meant as a knock on either of them. 

The brutal unprotected chair shots are tough to watch from a modern prospective. Tanaka takes an insane bump from an Awesome bomb over the top rope to the floor and eventually an Awesome bomb from the top rope through a table allowdc Mike Awesome to claim the championship. Post-match, Taz presents Awesome with the championship belt to "pass to torch" so to speak before Awesome took the torch to WCW just six months later because ECW fell behind on payments. That's another aspect that is a lot clearer in hindsight, while Mike Awesome was completely vilified at the time, in the years that followed when it came to light that he wasn't getting paid, it became much more understandable that he had to go to WCW to make a living for his family. The mortgage company simply wasn't going to take "Paul E. says the check is in the mail" as an excuse. Keep in mind, Awesome worked a very physical style and had already required knee surgery so he had to maximize his earning while he could, and WCW gave him an opportunity to do that. There was an emotional scene on the ramp way as Taz and Paul Heyman hugged with the roster around them. This was a scenario where the chaos of ECW worked to its benefit, as a guy that wasn't even scheduled to be there won the world title. It's something that always kept ECW organic because you didn't know what could happen in the company.

Earlier in the night, Steve Corino cut a promo, claiming that the Insane Clown Posse were scheduled to challenge Raven and Tommy Dreamer for the tag titles, but decided to cancel. A quick search yielded no information on the circumstances of the cancellation so who knows the story behind it? ICP appeared at Hardcore Heaven in 1997, but were signed to WCW by 1999 so I'm not sure how the appearance would've been possible. Either way, Rhino and Corino attacked Dreamer before Raven made the save. The actual match was only about two or three minutes before they landed a pair of DDTs, pinning Corino and Jack Victory.

Prior to the main event, Axl Rotten, who would be gone from the promotion not long after due to drug problems, which is saying something when someone gets the boot from ECW, cut a standard baby face promo. He was interrupted by The Impact Players with Johnny Smith, who was scheduled to challenge Rob Van Dam for the Television championship. Balls Mahoney shows up to aid his tag partner, and blasted Smith with a chair, eliminating him from the card. Van Dam shows up and an impromptu bout against Mahoney is the main event. All things considered, this was probably the best Balls Mahoney match you're going to find, which isn't meant as a jab against him, but rather to point out that while this had the hardcore gimmicks, it was more than just the usual brawl and bleed stuff you'd usually see him involved in at most ECW shows. This was a physical bout that had the signature chair spots from Van Dam and the power moves from Mahoney. RVD did a few absolutely incredible dives in the crowd. At one point, Van Dam takes a nasty unprotected chair shot to the head that will make you cringe. Bill Alfonso distracted Mahoney to set up a top rope flying kick to the chair prior to the conclusion. RVD hit the five star frog splash to retain the title.

AEW TV deal

Professional wrestling, for all of its spectacle, glamour, and over-the-top nature, both inside the ring and behind the scenes, is still based on simple economics. At the end of the day, regardless of the carefully scripted angles, organic crowd reactions, scandals, or contract disputes, sports entertainment is still gauged by supply and demand, which is more or less the foundation of any form of business. You might have to take a second mortgage to get some bread and a few steaks at the grocery store, but the costs soy and tofu aren't exactly topics for the Presidential debate stage. 

Ironically, politics is more of a work than pro wrestling, and it's more profitable, too.

Speaking of profitable, as I've mentioned several times before, revenue and profit are ultimately what determine the level of success in the sports entertainment industry. It's become repetitive at this point, but given the often comical tribalism online, success for All Elite Wrestling isn't based on the upstart league surpassing WWE, especially after the massive merger with UFC earlier this year, but rather the ability to become a stable and long-term commodity within the business.

When All Elite has success, the domino effect is that it creates more options and variety for the talent and for fans, which theoretically boosts the overall business. If you need an example of what happened when WWE was far and away the only legitimate option among the national landscape, try to sit through the tedious drek that was a completely stable product from 2015-2019. Total Nonstop Action at the time was on the brink of collapse before it was rescued from bankruptcy by Anthem Entertainment in 2016. Some of their "official" live streams were done on a staffer's phone, it was a combination of funny and pathetic. The Roman Reigns baby face super push was a corporate agenda that completely flopped, but was forced through the chorus of boos because quite simply, if the audience in the United States was going to watch professional wrestling, they were going to watch WWE.

As we know, the launch of All Elite Wrestling created a shift in the dynamics of the industry. Despite some of the rightfully criticism of the half-hazard booking or complete mismanagement in the past few years, make no mistake about it, the existence of AEW is one of the reasons that the WWE had a boost in its business today. Cody Rhodes is the top star and a great representative for the company, which is the same that can be said about guys in that spot before him like Roman Reigns and John Cena. Cody wouldn't  have been able to return to the WWE as the American Nightmare unless he had the chance to reinvent himself in All Elite Wrestling. The platform that Tony Khan provided allowed Cody to, quite frankly, show Vince McMahon and WWE management that they were wrong when they typecast him as a mid-card comedy act. CM Punk was brought back to professional wrestling after a seven-year hiatus because of an alternative to WWE, and while Tony's mismanagement ultimately cost the company the biggest star they had, it's safe to say that Punk wouldn't be in the WWE today as one of its biggest stars unless he dipped his toe back into the sports entertainment waters in AEW.

So, credit where its due, All Elite Wrestling had a measurable impact on the industry within the past five years. The biggest reason for that might also be the biggest reason that the company has drawn sluggish numbers within the past two years. Tony Khan was willing and had the resources from his billionaire family to offer comparable money to the WWE. His fandom is what motivated him to want to spark the industry and at the same time, that fandom probably puts a ceiling on the level of success AEW can achieve. Still, more talent gets a chance to make a name for themselves and make a full-time living in the pro wrestling business, which is undoubtedly a positive for the roster, and for the fans that get the opportunity to see them showcased on major stage. However, it's more or less impossible to ignore its diminished market share, or at the very least, the amount of fans that are willing to spend money on the product. 

Again, the economics of supply and demand.

When AEW launched, the novelty of a new product, and more specifically, the fans that wanted to believe an alternative to WWE after years of stale programming could get off the ground, was the draw for the organization. Tickets, especially for its early events, often sold out in minutes. Similar to anything else after the novelty worn off, All Elite had to stand or fall on its own merits. As we've seen, that situation has been a rather mixed bag.

Strictly by the numbers, AEW is down, as the floor for Dynamite ratings continues to decline at a meager, but steady pace. When CM Punk was a staple of the television show, the number hovered around a million on any given week. When Punk got into a brawl with The Elite and then left after he smacked around Jack Perry the following year, more or less 20% of the audience went with him. That's not to say that he was the sole reason that 20% of the audience was there, but it's fair to say that the backstage chaos drastically affected the perception of the company. There was a period when that 800,000 number was the base for AEW viewership after Punk was fired, but since that time, the numbers went into the 700,000 range and sometimes finish just under that around 650,000 viewers on a given week. A more than 30% decline in viewership definitely sends a message about the product. The fans were willing to support an ambitious entrepreneur that had as much passion for the sport as they did, but indulging a billionaire's vanity project is a completely different situation.

With Cody as the top guy, CM Punk back into the fold, and Roman Reigns embraced as a top baby face after a record-setting run as a heel, it's fair to say that the dynamics within the industry have shifted again for WWE with the momentum. That's not to say that All Elite is doomed, but rather that there's less of a rabid demand for the product after some of the blunders within the organization affected the perception of the company.

That's why the news of a "done deal" for a new TV contract between Warner Brothers Discovery and AEW gives an intriguing glimpse into the future of the promotion, and more specifically, if the next move will ultimately be productive or potentially dilute the project. According to The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, the new television contract will keep AEW on the Turner networks, maintaining its current line-up of three weekly shows. Meltzer also noted that while details aren't certain, it's expected that Max, the streaming service for Discovery, could potentially include AEW pay-per-views for the new deal. Depending on the business model, this could open the door for increased exposure for the AEW product, as it could bring the video library, which would include the Ring Of Honor catalog  to more viewers at a cheaper price, particularly if the live pay-per-views are put on the platform, similar to the Peacock option for WWE.

On the other hand, it might be a situation where fans would have to subscribe to the Max streaming service just for the option to purchase the pay-per-view, which is what the UFC has under its current ESPN deal. I think it goes without saying that the former would yield more success than the latter, specifically based on the fact that the All Elite fan base has spent less money on the product recently. Perhaps, a cheaper bulk price would give fans a reason to follow the product on a more regular basis again. Sure, there are a core group of All Elite fans that will pay $50 for a broadcast, and that does prove that the company can still draw money, but it's possible that more fans will subscribe at a lower product to expand the overall audience that follows and thus spends money on the product across the board.

There's a reason that AEW ticket sales haven't been stellar for most of their television events. Part of that is that outrageous fees and service charges that are added to the total costs, but again, if the new TV deal can provide more access to more viewers then maybe more fans will be willing to attend live shows. Meltzer also noted that the company applied for the trademark "Shock Wave," potentially for a new show that could air on FS1. I have to say that this would be completely misguided, and hopefully, it's a trademark that will be used for something else. 

Obviously, the goal is to rebuild the base of the audience, but oversaturation is already a problem for the company. Offering the current content at a lower price is one aspect, but asking a declining audience to watch more programming seems like a very difficult tasks. In fact, while it might be worth it in the short-term monetarily, I think Rampage as the clear B-show and Collision with a minimal audience on Saturdays based on other sports competition, the argument could be made that the shows have contributed to audience fatigue so to speak. One of the reasons that many were enthusiastic about the launch of the promotion in 2019 is that it was just one show a week that didn't require the tedious commitment of 5-7 hours of viewing content each week that the WWE had at the time. Furthermore, the concept of just Dynamite kept the supply of AEW content lower than the demand so the customer base was still there to consume the product. I'm honestly not sure how things will shake out by the time pen is put to paper, but outside of the pay-per-views at a cheaper price, I'm not sure adding more to the AEW line-up is the answer.

As much as the diehard AEW fans reject comparisons to the decline of WCW, the addition of Collision, a show that doubled not only the amount of booking required, but also the amount of live events tickets that had to be sold, seems like it had a similar effect to when Thunder was added to the Turner line-up. On the other hand, as much as the naysayers wanted to speculate that Tony wouldn't be offered a new deal, as mentioned, AEW has an audience, and pro wrestling is still relatively cheap programming for networks with at least a somewhat consistent audience so a renewal wasn't realistically in doubt. That being said, I'm not sure if the new TV deal, even with its rumored increase, means all that much in the grand scheme of things because there's still oversaturation of the product, which has translated to less overall revenue for the company.

All Out review

I penned a column earlier this week about the hot shot booking approach to All Out, the pay-per-view that was scheduled for just two weeks after All Elite Wrestling hosted its second event at Wembley Stadium, which saw Bryan Danielson win the AEW world championship in the main event against Swerve Strickland. Similar to the hot shot approach with a two-week build up to attempt to sell the pay-per-view to an audience that just paid $50 for the Wembley event, the show itself was also full of hot shot tactics. Depending on your perspective, that could be a good thing , as it attempted to provide meat on the bone so to speak to give fans a reason to spend another $50 on an AEW broadcast, or it underscores some of the continuous tactics that are counterproductive to the overall growth of the company.

,There were probably some of both of those dynamics on the card that was hosted in Chicago, an important location in the history of the promotion.

The show opened with the grudge match between MJF vs. Daniel Garcia, a bout that technically had a few months of momentum behind it because of the Friedman attack that put Garcia on the shelf, but at the same time, it was somewhat forgotten about because while Garcia was off television to sell the attack, Friedman worked a feud with Osprey that culminated with a title switch at Wembley Stadium that had exponentially more interest than the MJF/Garcia storyline. This match had all the ingredients of a quality pay-per-view match, it had a narrative that saw the peaks and valleys to keep the audience guessing and it built well toward the conclusion. It was a 20-minute segment that showcased that MJF, despite his botched title reign last year, is still one of the best performers on the roster, and furthermore, the level he is capable of when he doesn't use cheap heat as a crutch. Along with that, it's no surprise that this contest had proper selling to maximize everything that they did, which is usually inconsistent within the All Elite product.

The problem was, if there was one, this match more or less checked all of the boxes in the first match of the night and thus the inconsistencies later in the card stood out more than they probably would've otherwise. This was given the time to develop into a major match, it had blood when Garcia got busted open about half way through the segment, and it had a conclusion that left everyone in a better spot compared to where they started. However, when a few other matches on the card were going to use blood, particularly the main event, there was no reason that Garcia had to bleed at the start of the show. As I wrote in the prior article, given MJF's status, and how Garcia is usually presented, this angle was somewhat of a step down for Friedman. That said, this was probably the best that Garcia has looked in his AEW career. The only problem is, he's only going to look this good when he's working with MJF so it doesn't truly boost his stock going forward. MJF got the win after using a low blow to get the pin, which made sense, because as mentioned, Friedman is a bigger priority for the company. At the same time, Garcia got a measure of revenge at the conclusion of the segment with a low blow so the baby face wasn't buried.

The tag team title match was fine, there was nothing subpar, but at the same time, without the build up, this was more or less a TV match that was booked for pay-per-view. That's not meant as a knock, but just to point out that this was the same high spot type of tag match that you will see from these teams on more or less a weekly basis so it didn't really stand out, especially on a card that threw so much at the wall just to see what stuck by the time the show went off the air. The Young Bucks retained the belts, and again, this wasn't a subpar match, but within the context of a four-hour marathon show that had too many car crash matches, this tag contest was forgettable in the grand scheme of things.

Will Ospreay vs. Pac was the dazzling spot fest you'd expect it to be, with the standard 20-minute segment that most of the major matches get on AEW PPV cards, which isn't exactly a good thing because part of the booking process is to determine the time a match should be given based on the workers involved and the storyline, not a paint-by-numbers approach. From purely an athletic stand point, these guys are poetry in motion, they make daring aerial maneuvers look effortless with a level of grace in the process. They exchanged dives to the floor from the top turnbuckles and the spot emphasized just how skilled they both are as high-flyers. Everything they did was crisp and smooth with fast-paced, physical sequences. The downside was that this was booked in a vacuum so to speak, as it was essentially a one-off so there's not much to follow-up on despite the tremendous quality performance. Ospreay got the win with the hidden blade to retain the International championship.

The Chicago street fight between Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale was basically a summary of the bad habits of All Elite Wrestling. Don't get me wrong, Statlander seems to have potential to be a bigger star, and Willow is organically over with the audience. Her enthusiasm connects with the crowd, and if that's presented in the right fashion, it can be used to draw money. That said, regardless of the heel turn from Statlander, this was a secondary feud within the AEW landscape. As a comparison, this didn't have anywhere near the momentum of the Britt Baker/Mercedes Mone bout from Wembley two weeks earlier. It was a standard heel turn, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it wasn't as though it was some long standing grudge match to justify the gimmicks used in this segment. If anything, the weapons used were nothing more than a cheap substitute for compelling storytelling. This match had barbed wire, tables, thumbtacks, light tubes, and a chain. More than anything, this exposes what Tony Khan hasn't learned in the past five years, as he still uses an E-fed booking style that doesn't translate to an actual pay-per-view. Considering the steel cage match in the main event, which used some of the same gimmicks, why book the street fight on the same card? Furthermore, why exactly use barbed wire, thumbtacks, and light tubes for this feud? It does nothing, but hinder the effectiveness of the gimmicks in the main event. Finally, while female talent are finally getting the recognition they deserve and can definitely be the top draw in sports entertainment, there's still a chance that a portion of the audience will be soured when a woman bleeds during a match. Let's be honest, Statlander and Willow are much prettier than Bruiser Brody so it's much easier to watch the legendary brute bleed than some of the female talent. Statlander got the submission win, using the chain, but this was a total miscalculation in terms of what it attempted to accomplish with this segment.

The Continental title match was fun with a lot of action. It was a good boost in terms of the pace of the card and provided a decent contrast to what amounted to unnecessary gimmicks used in the previous contest. All four competitors showcased their skills in this bout, and all things considered, this was probably booked as a four-way to shoehorn a few more names onto the card. It's somewhat disappointing when you take into account that more could be done with everyone involved, but at least three of them are currently lost in the shuffle. I know I've said it a few times before, but it must be mentioned again,   Konosuke Takeshita has the talent to be a top guy. He shined throughout this bout, and if he isn't going to get the chance to live up to his potential, he should look elsewhere, as it would be a missed opportunity if he spent the prime of his career under the radar in AEW. Mark Briscoe has the history and the skills to get a main event run, but is saddled with the ROH championship as a consolation prize. Kazuchika Okada finally had a spark in his work in this segment and retained the title when he pinned Orange Cassidy. Speaking of a consolation prize, Okada getting a championship that is nothing more than a prop almost seems like an artificial way to justify his hefty contract.

Mercedes Mone beat Hikaru Shida to retain the TBS title in  contest that started fine, but went off the rails toward the finish. It looked like Mone might've accidentally been clipped with a stiff kick, as she looked either lost or out of it at one point when she was outside of the ring. The action was clunky and Mercedes botched her finisher. The crowd was quiet at certain points, and the match dragged during the latter portion of the segment.

Speaking of dragging at some points, I really think the world title bout went too long and become a rather tedious viewing experience. As I said prior, Tony used a paint-by-numbers approach to this card and it simply wasn't the right decision for this contest. With two weeks of a build up, does Jack Perry vs. Bryan Danielson need to go 30 minutes? It was a solid match for what it was, but when nobody believes the belt is going to change hands, this segment could've accomplished the same goal within half the time it was given on pay-per-view. The heel turn that followed was somewhat of a mixed bag, especially because if Danielson legitimately plans to retire to have neck surgery before the end of the year, there's not much time to book a proper payoff to such a heel turn. I have to be honest, if a revamped Blackpool Combat Club is the only reveal of Moxley's cryptic promos then I think it will fall short of expectations. Moxley re-enacted the Flair/Funk plastic bag angle, but in typical All Elite fashion, it went too far to truly be effective. Funk had the bag on Flair's head for about 30 seconds before Flair fell to the outside of the ring, and it was a white bag that shielded Flair's face from the audience. Moxley had the clear bag over Danielson's head for almost a minute and thirty seconds. It jumped the shark in some ways because while you can stretch the limits of logic with pro wrestling, someone being asphyxiated for that lengthy of time would have more serious injuries than what Danielson is going to sell for this angle. 

Furthermore and this is the much bigger point, the visual of Danielson being suffocated is going to sour a portion of the audience. Jim Ross sounded legitimately annoyed during the broadcast, and he had a point. There are going to be certain fans that will see it and decide that AEW isn't for them. That type of angle has very little upside with a much bigger downside.

Unfortunately, that trend followed in the main event as well for the steel cage match between Swerve and Adam Page to close the show. Much like their Texas Deathmatch last year, this bout was too gory to be useful for a national pro wrestling company. Sure, the diehard independent fans that jam into small venues don't mind seeing actual staples being taken out of someone's chest, but that type of stuff doesn't do anything to help expand a national group. The bumps on a legitimate cider block were foolish and misguided. Finally, the needle into Swerve's face was gross and completely unnecessary. Who exactly is that supposed to draw? Again, this is a company that has national television, not an independent league in front of a few hundred fans. Adam Page got the win, but this match was an example of everything that will hinder, not help a promotion on the national scene.

Did AEW sell All Out?

Just two weeks after Wembley Stadium, an event that garnered mostly positive reviews for the quality that it showcased, All Elite Wrestling is back on pay-per-view this weekend for All Out. Different from last year, the PPVs are two weeks apart rather than just a week, but the problem of selling a clear "B-side" to the equation remains for All Elite management. In truth, and this isn't a ground-breaking notion, there's absolutely no reason for the company to run another PPV two weeks after the London event. The current angles don't justify it, and more importantly, there's not a demand for it. Speaking of which, in terms of supply and demand, it's simple economics, when AEW had a few pay-per-views a year, it allowed for an anticipation to build prior to the show, which isn't the case as Tony Khan adds more pay-per-views to the schedule because monthly events became the trend in the late-90s when pro wrestling was in a boom period so there was a demand for such a line-up. Sure, the counterpoint might be that if the shows are selling on a near-monthly basis then Tony would technically be leaving money on the table otherwise, but I think in the grand scheme of things, there's a risk of oversaturation that could erode the amount of fans willing to pay those PPV prices that often over the course of a few years. The bottom line is, what can truly be accomplished in terms of importance to the product with only two weeks to promote the card?

At the same time, building a pay-per-view card in two weeks is almost tailor-made for Tony's booking style or lack thereof. The slapstick approach will allow Tony to justify match-ups with only a few segments behind them to generate momentum so he isn't tasked with booking compelling programming over the course of a few months to script a selling point for a PPV card. Instead, Jack Perry, who is already the TNT champion, will get a title shot at All Out because he attacked Bryan Danielson last week. Tony doesn't have to properly structure a grudge or any type of long-term issue for the segment at the pay-per-view. He doesn't have to truly justify why the match should take place or book an intriguing reason why the fans should want to pay to watch it. Outside of parsing details as to why there's not a logical basis for the match-up, quite simply, does anyone honestly believe that Danielson is going to drop the championship after just a two-week reign? When the main event is more or less a glorified exhibition bout, doesn't that provide enough of a reason why the pay-per-view isn't necessary in the first place?

In some respects, the chance to hotshot every angle on the show is exactly what Tony Khan looks for to book pay-per-view cards, as it mimics his E-fed booking days on the internet, the notion of what sounds good on paper, but something that falls short in realistic execution. There were matches announced on last night's episode of Dynamite, such as Mercedes Mone/Hikaru Shida for All Out. Why exactly should the fans be invested in this bout one way or the other? Don't get me wrong, Shida is a solid performer, but she's on the show very sporadically so it's not as though she has any momentum ahead of getting a title shot. The same could be said for The Blackpool Combat Club challenging The Young Bucks for the tag team titles, why exactly should the fans care who wins when it was a completely thrown together match?

On the flip side, I understand what they were going for with the Daniel Garcia/MJF segment, but all things considered, was enough time given to allow the fans to view Garcia as a key player in AEW? I don't think so, he's clearly not at the level of MJF, and the fact that he's a vacuum of charisma with a stone face expression most on the time doesn't do him any favors either. Maybe I'm missing something,but Garcia seems to be a good utility worker that can have a solid match to add substance to the card, but just doesn't have the star power to be a major draw. The problem is, you could say that about a lot of the current All Elite roster so even his strengths can get lost in the shuffle. Again, maybe I'm being too pessimistic, but working with Garcia, at least at this point, seems like a step down for Friedman, particularly because he's supposed to be one of the top guys in the company.

Will Ospreay and Pac will probably have a dazzling spot fest that will steal the show, be legitimately impressive, and will allow Dave Meltzer to give it 87 stars in an attempt to bolster the perception of the company. The downside of that is that those types of matches are randomly put on television every week so is that actually enough to justify the price tag of the pay-per-view? Considering that Pac's appearances are sporadic at best, does the result of the match have any impact on the direction of the product?

Aside from the sizzle of the Pac/Ospreay high spot bout, in theory, the substance of the pay-per-view in terms of a long-term feud is the steel cage match between Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. As disjointed as it is as far as the continuity and the presentation, there's undoubtedly history between the two that can be used to sell a major match. However, in typical Tony Khan fashion, he managed to muddy the waters for absolutely no reason. Keep in mind, Swerve Strickland organically got over as a baby face when he was initially portrayed as a heel, and that's ultimately why he had a run with the AEW world championship. It's one of the few strictly logical booking decisions made in AEW this year, as the fans decided that Swerve was a baby face, and the office ran with it. However, without explanation, Swerve was presented as a heel again in the build up to the match against Bryan Danielson at All In for Wembley Stadium. Now, again without explanation, he's a baby face again, with the over-the-top angle that saw Adam Page burn down Swerve's childhood home. This is supposed to be the feud that the fans are invested in enough to watch to see the next chapter at the pay-per-view, but when there are so many switches between the heel and baby face roles, the result is often indifference to the audience. 

There's nothing less of a draw than indifference. There's a reason that political parties always vilify the other side, because that's what fuels donations, thus draws money for the campaign. It's apropos that it's an election year because politics is more of a work than pro wrestling, and it's more profitable, too All of this said, the discussion for the most part, and even some of the rightfully criticism is more or less moot. Sure, running another pay-per-view two weeks after Wembley doesn't make financial or even booking sense, but as we know, profit isn't the objective for AEW. It's a vanity project, and there are some coincidences that provide a positive to the industry, as it gives options to the talent and to the fans, but business doesn't dictate the direction of All Elite Wrestling. The reasons that another pay-per-view is scheduled are that it will allow Tony Khan to book another E-fed card, he can sit next to his favorite wrestlers during the two-hour press conference, and he will see the star ratings that Dave Meltzer gives the show in The Wrestling Observer newsletter after the event.

Bash in Berlin review

The WWE brought its premium live event series to Berlin, Germany and once again, the demand from the foreign markets paid off, as they had a packed arena and a truly electric atmosphere from the German audience. In some ways, I'm wondering if WWE brass could've run a bigger venue, based on the demand, but the nearly 20,000 fans at the Uber Arena allowed for the reactions to truly be heard rather than some of the response escaping in a stadium. It should be noted that while it isn't discussed as often as other location, Germany actually is traditionally a very strong pro wrestling market. In the early-90s when the WWF struggled to draw outside of the northeast, Germany, as well as other markets from that region drew strong numbers for them. The German markets were also a stronghold for WCW, as well, particularly when the company essentially stopped touring in the early-90s outside of some of the tours of Europe. Furthermore, WCW leaned on the draw of live wrestling in Germany in the latter days of the organization when its attendance domestically plummeted in 2000.

As much as technology, particularly with the cesspool of social media, is the downfall of society, the advancements within the distribution of media are what not only allow for these overseas broadcasts, but also maximizes the potential revenue of the foreign markets. Keep in mind, there was a time when Europe received stacked house shows once a year or the occasional exclusive pay-per-view. In either case, there simply wasn't going to be major shifts in the direction of the product on those events because the domestic audience wouldn't be able to realistically watch it or follow the action. The office could've ran a tape on television, but the audience in the arena would have to watch it on the screens, which could flatten their live reaction afterwards. Specifically during the ratings war on the late-90s, management wasn't going to risk running an acknowledged taped segment when the fans could change the channel to watch live wrestling from the other company.

Sure, it's a little different watching a pay-per-view in the early afternoon, but the point is, streaming allows it to be a realistic option since the company doesn't have the traditional split with cable companies or other PPV providers. While we haven't seen one of the "big four" hosted overseas in the modern era, I don't think it's out of the question either, specifically Wrestlemania going to Wembley Stadium to draw 80,000 fans for two different shows. Right now, these foreign shows are somewhat scaled down in terms of the match card and the runtime of the broadcast, which actually makes for an easier viewing experience. The bottom line is, fans watching on Peacock and in the building know that titles can change hands and key points of a storyline can take place in the modern era.

At the same time, while the setting can be a place for titles to change hands, the circumstances of the title picture can dictate otherwise. The show opened with Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE championship. It was smart to start with this because it gives a solid beginning with the notion that Gunther will be the main event, preventing the crowd response from dwindling before the conclusion of the pay-per-view. That said, the key to building the drama of championship matches is selling the possibility that the title might be in jeopardy. Sometimes, reaching that point within the narrative of a contest just isn't realistically possible, and unfortunately, Cody/Owens fell into that category. Everything they did was solid and at the level of a quality championship match, but after Rhodes' two-year journey to the belt, the audience knows that he's not going to lose it based on a month build for one of the European cards. Under different circumstances, perhaps with Owens as a heel with more of a build up, these two could have a great feud, but the match just wasn't going to have a level of intensity when there was only a few weeks of momentum behind it. A side note,it should be mentioned that it looks like Owens might get typecast as the guy that is considered a solid utility worker that can make the star look good. Don't get me wrong, the office knows the value that Owens brings to the table, which is why he will be offered a hefty sum to re-sign with the company and probably finish his career there, but it still seems like somewhat of a missed opportunity if he isn't given a more meaningful run as a heel world champion at some point before he retires.

Speaking of which, with the odds of a title switch in the main event scene rather slim, it made sense for there to be a change of the Women's Tag Team titles so that there was something of importance to impact the direction of the brand at the event. The match was fine for what it was, and depending on your perspective, there's nothing wrong with that. Jade Cargill is still a project, and this segment was still designed to showcase her strengths without exposing any weaknesses, which is fine. There's no reason to rush it, but it will be interesting to see how Jade continues to develop as a performer and if she can adapt to a individual role, potentially as a heel after the run in a tag team.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre in a strap match was somewhat odd, because even though the feud has about six or seven months already behind it, there's a lot of ground to be covered since Punk was injured for a majority of the year. I don't know if a gimmick match for just the second match of the feud was needed, but maybe it was booked to add some sizzle to the Berlin card. However, the pieces of the puzzle were put into place with the attack on Punk during Raw this week, as it gives the angle a reason to continue. The strap match was solid and the physicality emphasized the hostility of the storyline. When Punk originally won, I thought it would've been anti-climatic if that was considered the conclusion of the angle because Punk would've gotten a measure of revenge, but as was seen on Raw, another layer was added to the storyline with Punk being put in an ambulance following the attack. The HIAC pay-per-view is next month, which is probably the next destination for the storyline, but if it's done right, I really think Punk vs. Drew has enough steam to be a grudge match at WM next year.

The Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan segment was decent, but nothing too spectacular. In truth, it didn't need to be some epic bout, it was a storyline-based segment that proved just how over Ripley is with the audience, which in the process helps put over the entire storyline. For a stable that was more or less dead in the water when it originally started with Edge a few years ago, it's remarkable how valuable The Judgment Day faction has been with the ability to make new stars for the company. Ultimately, Priest was a transitional champion, but he became a more established star in the process. At the same time, Dominik and Liv have became more established heels throughout this angle so all things considered, it was mission accomplished. Ripley and Priest got the win, but this is another storyline that has the potential to be a featured WM match.

The main event more or less had the same hurdles as the opening match, the same way that the audience knows that Cody isn't going to drop the belt after a month of build up, the fans in Berlin knew that Gunther wasn't going to lose just a few weeks after he won the championship. Again, everything they did was solid and it was a quality main event, it just didn't have the drama of a major title match because there just wasn't the realistic possibility of a title switch. Gunther got the submission to retain the title, and the handshake afterwards was a nice endorsement from Orton because it helps solidify Gunther as a legitimate star.