What's the status of Vince McMahon?

Sometimes, the world, especially in the modern society seems like the alternative timeline from 1985 in Back to the Future. Eccentric rocket man, Elon Musk is running wild like a Hogan comeback in his prime, slashing government programs and attempting a buyout of the CIA. Trump, in true heel fashion, paints the Russians, who invaded Ukraine three years ago, as the baby face, during the peace talks to hopefully end the conflict.

Is Vince Russo booking this?

In the midst of all the other nonsense, Linda McMahon, the head of the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term, was confirmed as the head of the Department of Education. Math scores are going to go through the roof now. Along with that and not surprisingly, the Department of Justice dropped the investigation into Vince McMahon, who was accused of possible human trafficking and misrepresentations of company funds related to nondisclosure agreements that were used to buy the silence of several women that he had affairs with over the years. At the time, he used company money to pay those settlements without informing the company or the shareholders of the publicly-traded corporation, which was being invested by the Securities and Exchange Commission as a potential violation. After McMahon donated millions to Trump's campaign effort for his first stint in office, and Linda worked extensively as a part of a Republican Super Pac in recent years to try to ensure his re-election, both were rewarded for their efforts.

The criminal case against Vince was dropped, and Linda got another spot in Trump's cabinet.

Still, the civil lawsuit, the filing that prompted the original bombshell reports from the Wall Street Journal a few years ago, is still going through the legal process, as the federal government asked that the lawsuit pause while their department worked through the criminal investigation. With the criminal probe dropped, the legal grappling of if the case will be handled in arbitration or go to a jury trial is the current standing of the proceedings.

Outside of the fact that Vince will skate away from any criminal charges because of his friendship with Trump, the status of Vince McMahon remains the same, he was exiled from his pro wrestling empire in disgrace after the revelations of numerous affairs and several million dollars were paid to cover them up. Furthermore, John Laurinaitis, a former WWE executive during McMahon's tenure as the boss, was also involved in the lawsuit, as well as Brock Lesnar, who was officially named in a recent amended filing after the Department of Justice dropped the investigation.

The bottom line is, Vince McMahon is persona non grata within the WWE, and the TKO corporation, the merger that resulted when the company was joined with the UFC under the Endeavor banner, has taken very direct steps to completely distance itself from the former kingpin of sports entertainment. It's not a coincidence that Triple H is spotlighted as prominently as he is as the figurehead of the WWE, and all things considered, he should be.

Usually, such a notion would be dismissed as  wild internet clickbait, but with everything that has happened within the McMahon orbit within just a few months, is it possible that Vince could be angling to start a new sports entertainment company?

The rumor picked up steam when podcast czar, Conrad Thompson mentioned on Eric Bischoff's podcast, 83 Weeks that he heard a few rumblings that the former WWE owner could be in the process of trying to pitch a project to Fox, the network that hosted the Super Bowl this year that McMahon was in attendance for, with photos of him alongside The Undertaker and Shane McMahon surfacing online after the game.

There were reports online that in the time since he was dismissed from WWE that he was making plans to launch a production company, with some of the former WWE staff, including his longtime executive producer, Kevin Dunn, on the list of those that he recruited for new projects. Initially, it was reported that this was a non-wrestling venture, which would seem like a way for him to attempt to salvage some type of reputation in show business before the end of his career in the public eye.

All things considered, I just can't believe that Vince McMahon would attempt to start another pro wrestling promotion, particularly because a start up, by definition, would be in a secondary position to the TKO corporation. Vince simply doesn't settle for second place, and his knows the financial and media muscle behind the merger between his former company and the UFC, as he still made billions of dollars from the transaction.

Sure, Vince has billions of dollars in capital to invest if he wanted to start a new project, but would he really be able to secure any talent if he had a hypothetical television deal? It's well known that the top-tier stars from WWE are mostly under long-term contracts because of the existence of All Elite Wrestling so who exactly would be on the Vince McMahon roster? Furthermore, the success under the Triple H regime, specifically with him being spotlighted as the new head of the company, proves that the WWE fan base, which is the most casual demographic of wrestling fans, have accepted and in some ways, endorsed Triple H in the role. The vast majority of the WWE fan base is loyal to the brand itself, not Vince McMahon.

It should be noted that Vince will be 80 this year, and while it's entirely possible that he sold his soul for immortality, just in case he didn't, you have to wonder, does he realistically have enough time left as a full-time promoter to truly attempt to launch a new project? Is the guy going to be 92 in the office until 2 AM formatting his next version of Wrestlemania? Vince has said himself in many interviews in the past that he intends to "die in the chair" in terms of working in some form or fashion as long as he's alive so maybe that's what this new project is? He has billions of dollars so cash is just numbers on a page to him, perhaps, this possible new promotion is just a way to keep him occupied for the rest of his life?

Based on the vile evidence that was revealed in the previously mentioned lawsuit, it's fair to say that Vince McMahon isn't a normal guy, he's not someone that is going to be content with sitting on an island drinking ice tea in his golden years. Ironically, his eccentric nature as a ruthless businessman that took him to the top of the sports entertainment industry is probably also what led to his meteoric downfall.

So, on the surface, no, I don't think Vince McMahon will secure a deal on the Fox network for another pro wrestling project, and even if he attempted it, it's doubtful that he would truly be able to secure the top talented needed to get such an organization off the ground. There's too many big names signed for big money under long-term contracts for there to be anything even close to a perspective talent pool for something on that potential scale. Furthermore, given the evidence already revealed in the lawsuit, it's doubtful that fans would be willing to support or invest their cash through ticket sales or merchandise with another Vince McMahon project. That being said, given the events of the past few years, and particularly the past few months, it's not completely impossible for Vince McMahon to try to start a new wrestling company either.

What's the status of Lucha Underground?

The unique era of 2025 continues with news that the TKO corporation, the umbrella organization that resulted from the WWE and UFC merger, bought the rights to Lucha Underground, according to a report by Fightful Select. Lucha Underground was the cult hit that aired on the El Rey Networked for 4 seasons after its initially launch in 2014, with its association with the AAA in Mexico. The show brought an out-of-the-box approach to its presentation with eccentric backstage angles, but its in-ring presentation, which brought lucha libre to an American platform years after it had last been seen to any measurable degree, created a fan following, especially among the diehard fan base of the pro wrestling genre.

As I wrote at the time, the problem was, that the lucha underground concept was simply a television show, not a professional wrestling company. Granted, the off-the-wall storylines with backstage segments weren't my cup of tea, but the reason I put very little stock in the prospects of the project was that it didn't have a way to generate enough revenue to truly get off the ground to any significant degree. Infamously, Lucha Underground offered long-term contracts to talent and then some of those performers were stuck in sports entertainment purgatory because they couldn't explore other options while under the deal, but the Lucha Underground organization had a period of time where it wasn't producing new content, with its future up in the air.

It's important to keep in mind the scope of what the original brand was, several episodes were filmed within the span of a few days, with a studio audience being brought in to "play the role" of a wrestling crowd. Sure, Lucha Underground was probably popular enough at one point to draw crowds on the west coast, particularly with the strong Hispanic demographics in those areas, but there was never a test run to truly gauge how the brand would've drawn from a live event prospective because the project never ran a show that required tickets so if fans would or wouldn't have been willing to pay to attend, or at what ticket prices to get an estimate of a typical gate would be completely hypothetical.

Even if you look at the logistics of the concept as strictly a television show, which would then rely on ad revenue and sponsors to make a profit, the El Rey Network simply didn't have enough clearance on most cable systems to be able to sell that commercial time for nearly enough cash to cover production costs, along with wrestling contracts.

Basically, the show had a premise and a distribution channel, but wasn't able to monetize it in a way that was sustainable for any extended period of time.

With the launch of All Elite Wrestling the year after it folded, it's difficult to expect a studio project to be able to secure any top-tier talent in the modern era of the industry. Granted, JBL became involved in AAA last year, and of course, he's known as a slick financial guy, but that would probably be an effort designed to expand the pure Mexican brand, not a spinoff. It should be noted that while AAA was affiliated with Lucha Underground when it started a decade ago, any notion of a United States expansion based on the momentum of the El Rey exposure was probably misguided and never materialized.

So, why would the WWE buy the rights to the Lucha Underground name?

This could be something as simple as buying the video library because of the amount of footage that involved either current or former WWE talent. Penta just made the jump to WWE last month and he was one of the standout performers on El Rey. When Rey Mysterio left WWE for a few years, one of the places that he worked was for Lucha Underground. Ricochet, Chelsea Greene, and Rey Fenix, who is expected to join the WWE after his All Elite deal expires, were among those that wrestled for Lucha Underground.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the tape collection was the primary purpose of the purchase. Don't get me wrong, I understand that it's possible that the project could be brought back under the WWE banner, but realistically, how much cache does Lucha Underground really have with the current WWE audience? Again, keep in mind, the El Rey Network had relatively minimal television clearance and folded almost seven years ago so how many fans of the modern product are aware of what Lucha Underground was?

Sure, it's possible with the rights to the name purchased that the WWE could repackage a Lucha Underground concept with a WWE spin on it, but why wouldn't they just create their own brand instead of bringing back a niche concept that someone else started a decade ago? Let's not forget, the WWE, while more flexible under the Triple H regime, is still a corporation that looks to own the rights to as much of its content as possible, and truth be told, it would probably be a wiser decision to start something fresh than to try to recapture the brief momentum that Lucha Underground had ten years ago.

Assuming that this might be an indication that WWE has some sort of place for a specific lucha project, there are several questions that would be key to determining if there was any chance of long term success. First and most importantly, even with the legitimate globalization efforts of the TKO corporation under the direction of Nick Khan, I still don't think a pure lucha libre concept will get the push of the WWE machine, it's just a style that is too counterculture to the basic fundamentals of the WWE product. There's nothing wrong with that either, it's just to point out that despite the massive reach of the WWE, it's not realistic to be able to tailor programming to the entire world.

Regardless of if it would be for a new WWE product or the relaunch of Lucha Underground, where and when the shows would be taped would be one of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to determine its chances of success. We saw several times that attempting to tape extra content after one of the main shows goes off the air often led to either diminished crowds as people weren't going to stay late for a secondary show or just a flat reaction because of everything else already presented at the taping prior in the night. The doomed ECW on Sci-Fi tapings were probably the best example of how that format doesn't create a good atmosphere for a television taping. Furthermore, there was actually a mostly unknown attempt to tape a short-lived WWF lucha show during the the 41-episode run of WWF Super Astros, the company's lucha experiment that aired on Univision, the largest Spanish language station in the United States, from 1998-1999. The program actually had names like Super Crazy, El Hijo Del Santo, and others, but was taped in front of WWF crowds that didn't have any idea who the performers were, particularly since there was before computers were household items so there were very limited resources about lucha libre during the era.

Of course, the publicly-traded organization looks to maximize its revenue streams for its stockholders, but there's a different between marketing specific lucha libre stars and trying to establish or showcase the style as a whole. The WWE, because of its attempt to target the broadest demographic possible, wants to promote lucha performers, not the full-scale lucha style. That's why I don't think even the purchase of the Lucha Underground rights is anything beyond the acquisition of the tape library. All things considered, the amount of potential revenue that would be on the table for a full lucha show with its own set of television tapings, Mexican stars under contract, and the production costs, probably wouldn't be worth the possible return on investment when there's a lot more money to be made in foreign markets from the major gate revenue made from bringing signature pay-per-views to different countries.

What's the status of Shane McMahon?

A new report from Fightful Select's Sean Ross Sapp has created some chatter online around the photo that surfaced several months ago of AEW boss, Tony Khan meeting with Shane McMahon. At the time, it sparked speculation that perhaps the second generation McMahon, who was dismissed from the family organization on a few occasions before his return against The Miz at Wrestlemania was cut short when he tore his quad just minutes into the match, might consider a jump to All Elite Wrestling.

Since this photo coincided with the start of the Jon Moxley faction and his promos that implied something major that would affect the promotion in the future, some were guessing that Shane would be revealed as the force behind the stable, creating the possibility of a McMahon working for Tony Khan.

As I wrote at the time, as much as Shane might want a better conclusion to his wrestling career than tearing his quad against The Miz, I just didn't think that he would ever work anywhere in professional wrestling outside of the WWE, especially because by nature, it would be seen as a step down. This would be underscored when you take into account the current standing of All Elite, as its ratings and ticket sales have declined over the past two and a half years.

All things considered, it's doubtful Shane would settle for a secondary group, while his sister and brother-in-law run the sports entertainment portion of the TKO merger that brought the WWE together with the UFC. Since the merger, the $5 billion Netflix deal was announced and the company continues to generate record-setting revenue.

However, according to Fightful Select, Shane actually considered working with the Khan-owned organization, looking to run the company in some aspect. There were some rumors that Shane wanted some level of ownership in the company, but that couldn't be confirmed, and I really doubt that McMahon would make such a request during an initial meeting.

Jonathan Coachman claimed on his podcast that Tony stopped any communication with Shane after the meeting as a way to dismiss the offer. I take anything that Coachman says about more or less anything with less than a grain of salt, especially in this case since it's doubtful that the secondary interviewer that hasn't actually worked in the sports entertainment industry in years would have any idea what Tony Khan or Shane McMahon are doing about anything, let alone the details of a potential business deal that would effect the direction of All Elite Wrestling.

According to Sapp, Tony passed on Shane's offer to run any portion of the promotion, which isn't surprising at all, given that the entire point behind the launch of All Elite Wrestling was to allow him to relive his E-fed booking on the internet from his youth in real life. We've seen several examples that money is no object to Tony so revenue and profit aren't goals for him. The bottom line is, Tony isn't going to allow anyone else to play in his sandbox.

That being said, what if Shane McMahon was brought into run All Elite Wrestling?

As much as the reasoning behind Tony's decision to decline the possible offer would be self-serving, that doesn't mean that even if he looked at the situation objectively that he should've handed the reigns over to the second generation McMahon. Make no mistake about it, Shane more than earned his stripes in his younger days as a performer on the roster. He wasn't as graceful as Rickey Steamboat, but he took many risks to prove that he was willing to sacrifice for the business and wasn't just there because of his last name. At the same time, does any of that qualify him to be a booker or run the company in any other fashion? As we know, Shane originally left WWE in 2009 when it became clear that he wasn't the next McMahon in line to run the company. If he would've done a better job than his sister and his brother-in-law is irrelevant because it would be a total hypothetical. 

The harsh reality is, Shane was around the business for years and assisted in different aspects of the business side, but he has zero experience as a booker of a national wrestling company. While All Elite Wrestling certainly needs someone besides Tony Khan to script the shows, what exactly does Shane bring to the table from an administrative stand point besides his last name? Sure, Shane worked in the offices of the corporate structure of WWE, but that's obviously very different from the structure or lack thereof within AEW.

This isn't necessarily meant as a knock on Shane, but he doesn't have the qualifications or the track record to be the answer for All Elite. To be fair, with the multi-layered problems that the promotion has, it remains to be seen if anyone would have the answer to recapture the momentum that the project had after it originally launched. At 55, he has very little, if anything to offer from an in-ring perspective. Furthermore, and this might be one of the points that would be overlooked on the surface because of the initial shock value a McMahon appearence on Dynamite would generate, Shane often overstayed his welcome so to speak with much of his latter tenure in WWE.

Anyone remember the "best in the world" stint in 2019 when Shane got more TV time on Smackdown than most of the roster? How about when AJ Styles was used as an opponent for Shane just to try to ensure that McMahon had a decent match at Wrestlemania? Along with that, there was the infamous Royal Rumble appearence in 2022, where it was reported that Shane wanted the match to be built around him, and the incident received such criticism that he was actually dismissed from the company a few days after the event.

Are the fans really clamoring for another Shane McMahon run on television, even if it was on AEW programming?

Of course, given the fact that Shane never surfaced on Dynamite lends some level of credibility to the story that negotiates fizzled before they ever got started. While I think Tony would undoubtedly want to hire Shane just so that he could say that he had a McMahon working for him, the biggest takeaway from this story is the hypothetical decline of the offer. 

There's no doubt that Tony Khan would pay Shane McMahon millions of dollars to sign an All Elite Wrestling contract, and at least initially, the shock value would get the fans to tune into Dynamite. The problem from there, is two-fold in terms of why the deal wouldn't be finalized, and if it did, the impact would be minimal. It's not unrealistic to think that Shane might want to run a portion of the company because as mentioned, his in-ring days are probably over, or at least they should be, and money isn't a motivation for him since he's more than financially secure. Sure, Shane would want to get paid to work for All Elite Wrestling, but the goal would be accomplishment, not cash. It's at least possible that maybe he wanted to accomplish something within professional wrestling on his own, and if he boosted the profile of All Elite Wrestling, it would definitely prove that he should've received more consideration for the next in line to run WWE many years ago.

The bottom line is, Tony Khan isn't going to allow anyone else to run the promotion because that would defeat the purpose of the project, to allow him to be a pro wrestling promoter. No, Shane McMahon wouldn't be the answer because even the shock value that would get fans to tune in would only be temporary, and as mentioned, Shane doesn't have the track record as a booker to truly turn the company around so the overall impact would eventually be minimal. Assuming that even a portion of the story is true, it underscores that Tony won't relinquish any power within All Elite Wrestling and that will ultimately continue the trend of a slapstick product that has seen a 40% decline in viewership in the past two and a half years.

The career of Johnny Norris

Almost a year ago, on March 4, 2024, Johnny Norris, an aspiring grappler of the squared circles of Pittsburgh, found himself not in the ring, but rather checking into St. Clair hospital in Pittsburgh on a brisk Monday morning. The bright lights and enthusiastic atmosphere of the West Newton gym, where he was a crowd favorite for the Renegade Wrestling Alliance, a blue collar league known in the region for its diehard fan base, were replaced with the static florescent bulbs and dry environment of his pre-op room.

Instead of hearing the cheers of the crowd packed into the venue known as "The House of Renegades" for its gritty appeal and signature visual presentation, Norris sat in solitude, pondering his pro wrestling future as he heard the chatter of the busy medical staff in the hallways.

The procedure was the reconstruction of his right knee, which required doctors to cut his patellae and relocate it to his tibia. Tendons and cartilage had to be replaced to provide stability for his knee cap throughout the recovery process.

However, this wasn't the first or even second time that Norris had to go under the knife to repair his right knee, but rather the fourth surgery, with an additional surgery on his left knee previously as well.

"The origin of both my knees consist of genetically bad joints. I have massive arthritis in both knees. The dislocation issues arouse multiple times in the military and have became worse with age. I’ve had one dislocation during training and one in a match," Norris explained.

Before Norris wore a vest inspired by the 1979 gang film, "Warriors," a touching tribute to his late younger brother's favorite movie, and wrestling boots to prepare for combat in the ring, he wore steel toe boots and a uniform as a member of the United States Navy. Serving from 2007 to 2013, Norris obtained the rate and rank of Master of Arms Third Class Petty Officer. Throughout his six-year tenure as a member of the armed forces, Norris was stationed as close to home as Virginia and Illinois, but also as far away as Guantanamo Bay and Japan.

Similar to the design of his wrestling gear, his service to the country also has family ties.

"My grandfather served in Vietnam, and I always wanted to follow in his footsteps and serve my country," he explained.

The connection between military service and the sport of professional wrestling played a key role for him, as the two went hand-in-hand when he decided to pursue each path.

"At 19, I tried out for wrestling training. Problem was, I was 6’2” and 150 pounds. Everything about wrestling hurt more than I could explain. Not having medical insurance made the decision to pause a no-brainer. So, I decided my next best option, the United States Navy," Norris commented.

Despite his accomplishments and travels quite literally around the world in the navy, Johnny Norris always had the goal in the back of his mind of pursuing a stint in the over-the-top world of professional wrestling. He fell in love with the sport at 14, spending hours each day running through different scenarios of future championship glory while he sat in math class as a youth, or doodling pro wrestling logos in notebooks during study halls.

So, when the scrawny kid that joined the navy at 150 pounds emerged as an adult with lean muscle mass and tremendous agility from years of physical training in the military, Norris opted to jump back into pro wrestling training with both feet.

Throughout 2019, he learned the ropes at a local spot in Pittsburgh, a region with a vibrant independent scene, with at least live event cards running somewhere in the area on any given weekend. The building was dingy and provided a harsh reality check that glamour isn't guaranteed at the entry level of the industry. Still, Norris' size, agility, and thirst for knowledge impressed his trainers, as they saw the potential of a successful career in the cards for him.

At first, he surfaced on smaller cards in a body guard role while he put the finishing touches on his in-ring training before he was slated for his pro debut. Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the entire world, his plans for sports entertainment were delayed.

However, when Norris was unleashed as a regular performer in 2022, he spent the following two years establishing himself on the local scene as a force that the fans took notice of almost immediately.. Throughout 2022 and 2023, Norris built momentum as he steadily honed his craft, gaining valuable experience wrestling on live events to polish his skills.

The knee injury that he sustained in early-2024 that landed him at St. Clair Hospital on the previously mentioned chilly March morning tested his determination and dedication to a career inside the ring ropes. During the bulk of the rehabilitation process, the grappler with the moniker "Lights Out" spent seven days a week working toward incremental improves to achieve mobility again. The wrestler that jumped, ran, and dove in the ring found that it took months to rebuild toward the most simple movements. 

"Therapy was incredibly hard, it started with very simple exercises like slight bending of the knee and stretching. At about five months, I finally reached full bend of my knee and could do exercises like walking, lunges, step ups, squats, and running," Norris remarked.

Of course, after he was medically cleared for activity again, Norris was chomping at the bit to get back on the canvas of a wrestling ring. He began to work on conditioning drills at the Stronghold Academy, the training center of the Ryse Wrestling organization, located in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

Finally, after nearly a year of away from the competition of sports entertainment, the lights literally went out in the West Newton gym, as the villainous Gianni Micheal Emricko gloated on the mic, asking who could challenge for his RWA No Limits championship. As music played, the lights came on, revealing Norris standing in the ring behind the heel after the extended absence. The fans in attendance erupted when Norris choke slammed his foe, proclaiming his intentions to win the title.

"I think I had the same feeling anyone has once they return from injury or a long break. Will everyone remember me? They did, and it was the greatest feeling I ever had in my career. The hard work, the training, and overcoming almost impossible odds all paid off. Johnny Norris is just getting started," he said.

With Norris back in the game, he also returned to Ryse Wrestling earlier this month as the organization's no-nonsense commissioner. It's no surprise that promoters and event organizers from across the circuit want to add the dynamic and powerful athlete to their line-ups.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Johnny Norris in professional wrestling, the knee injury that put him on the shelf in 2024 is proof of how unpredictable the sport can be. However, the biggest takeaway from his career might be the perseverance it takes to overcome a series of obstacles to continue to pursue the passion for the sport of professional wrestling.

AEW Grand Slam

Did All Elite Wrestling hit a grand slam in Australia?

Of course, as with most things in the sports entertainment business, the answer truly depends on your prospective. With as polarizing as the All Elite product is, with the core fan base willing to die on the hill that somehow star ratings eclipse viewership and ticket sales, and critics that attempt to do their own high spots in an attempt to avoid giving the company any credit, it's rare that there's an impartial viewpoint expressed about the Khan-owned organization.

The narrative over the past five years has been fascinating to watch unfold, as the evil corporate empire, and we didn't know quite how evil Vince McMahon (allegedly) was, had completely soured most of the pro wrestling audience with stagnant programming for several years. At the time, TNA was on the Pursuit Channel with ice fishing as its lead-in programming, and McMahon was set on getting the fans to accept Roman Reigns as the next John Cena. It's amazing that Roman eventually reached the desired position from the office as the top guy when he was allowed to evolved organically as a performer through a heel run, isn't it?

Pro wrestling, especially by the mid-2010s, had become more of a viewing pattern out of habit than anything else, and most of the cliche booking from McMahon was a chore to watch rather than an entertaining viewing experience. Sure, independent groups like Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Ring Of Honor had some of their best years, in terms of popularity for their respective brands, but that was on a much smaller scale. Those that were aware of those independent options found them as an alternative to the bland main stream pro wrestling available at the time.

However, most fans followed the national pro wrestling product, which was the WWE by a large margin because of TNA's almost nonexistent distribution at the time, with the hope that there would be an upswing in the momentum and thus quality of the product.

Ultimately, that set the stage for the demand and the launch of an alternative product at the major league level. Obviously, one of the many barriers to entry of the sports entertainment industry is, the massive amount of capital needed to fund the start of a product, which in itself doesn't guarantee distribution as far as a television deal or ticket sales for a national touring schedule as a part of a weekly live broadcast.

It's not surprising that television executives are much more willing to listen to someone from the family that owns an NFL franchise than a random promoter that might've started on the independent level. Tony Khan had the passion and the funding to launch a new wrestling promotion in 2019 that TBS was willing to give a prime time slot to on its line-up. That's a very rare set pf circumstances, which is why All Elite Wrestling, for all of its rightfully criticisms, is still the best chance the business has for competition, and thus a healthy industry.

Ironically, that's also why the ups and downs of the past five years are extremely frustrating because the missed opportunities won't be there again for Tony Khan to make a different decision. Make no mistake about it, if All Elite fizzles out, even if it stays in business, it would set the industry back at least two decades.

That's why the way that the narrative around the company within at least half of its existence has been as intriguing as it has been frustrating. In some respects, the roles have flipped as far as the perception of the organizations. Vince McMahon was exiled in disgrace, and the WWE has done an exponentially better job in recent years of serving its audience than it had done for most of the latter portion of McMahon's tenure as the boss. Triple H's reign of doom throughout the early-2000s when he absolutely used his place in the McMahon family tree to keep a top spot in the company, isn't remembered for how flat it was at the time. Instead, Triple H is viewed as the head of the company that can appreciate the pure talent that Vince often overlooked and gives the fans more of the product that they support in the arena, which is probably why ticket sales have been consistently strong, despite the higher prices during an uncertain economy.

On the flip side, Tony Khan's pettiness on social media, his self-serving and cringe worthy appearances on the completely unnecessary post-show press conferences, and the general direction or lack thereof of his product has revealed that his goal wasn't so much to spark the industry, but rather a vanity project so that he could play promoter in real-life the way that he did years earlier when he booked E-fed storylines on the internet.

By all accounts, Tony Khan is genuinely a great guy that cares about his roster, which is legitimately wonderful, but as I've said many times, that doesn't automatically make him a qualified or successful promoter. Outside of being from a billionaire family that can fund the project for him, what made Tony Khan qualified to run a national promotion? If he wanted to play promoter, running independent cards would've been a lot cheaper, but as we've seen from the way that he runs AEW, money is no object to Tony so the point is moot.

That's why in some ways, the fans have soured on the concept of All Elite, because the good will of supporting the cause to change the industry was eroded when the fans realized that on some level that the same support indulges Tony's self-serving goal to play Vince McMahon. It was a lot easier for the audience to support the original premise of AEW than it is to pay for tickets to the often slapstick programming that is usually seen now.

It should be noted that  Grand Slam was originally slated to be held in a stadium, but dismal ticket sales forced the event to be moved to a significantly smaller building. Instead of a potential pay-per-view, the show was an episode of Collision, the secondary program of the All Elite line-up. Fan footage surfaced online of Tony Khan actually being booed by the crowd prior to the start of the taping, which is at least some level of proof of fan dissatisfaction.

The show was very much a reflection of the company itself, it had some very solid hits along with some very misguided misses. The upcoming Moxley/Cope main event at Revolution is more or less a title match that nobody asked for, and the continuous path of the Moxley faction steamrolling everyone without any point or direction is still a very tedious viewing experience. The Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay tag team is still a total misuse of both of their skills. That being said, Toni Storm winning the AEW Women's championship from Mariah May in her home country was very well done, as the angle had a logical payoff, giving the hometown baby face the championship victory, and the storyline established Mariah May as a credible heel after the early portion of her stint in the company was just as a sidekick. An ankle injury when Buddy Matthews entered the ring before the match started probably hampered the quality of the match with Kazuchika Okada, but again, the hometown baby face challenging for a championship is an easy and effective selling point.

According to The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, the event raked in a $1.3 million gate, proving that there was a demand for the brand in the country. Meltzer also noted that the organization completely sold out of merchandise in the arena. This is where All Elite Wrestling, very similar to the narrative around the company as a whole, continues to shoot itself in the foot. The fact that the company drew $1.3 million in ticket sales is great news, but the much bigger story was that they initially had to move the show from the stadium due to lack of ticket sales, with the reason that it was the bigger story being that sluggish ticket sales domestically in smaller buildings have been an issue for the promotion. Furthermore, selling out of merchandise is usually a good thing, but was this a case of overwhelming demand, or did the organization just not prepare properly? Aside from some empty buildings, one of the other gripes about live events in the United States was the lack of merchandise available, with only a few t-shirt designs stocked at the merchandise stands.

All Elite announced a return to Australia for next year, but despite the success at the gate, will there be the same demand in 2026? Keep in mind, this was AEW's first ever event in Australia, and we've already seen the diminishing returns in the UK from when they set an attendance record in 2023, but then saw a decline of 30,000 tickets sold for Wembley Stadium last year.

The biggest takeaway from the event in Australia is probably that the company did well, but not nearly as well as they could've done, which is almost the same statement that can be made about the prospects of the entire project when discussed in hindsight after it was launched in 2019. As mentioned, clearly, there was a demand for AEW in the country, as they drew more than a million dollars, but it's never good optics when a company has to down size an event because of a lack of ticket sales. Furthermore, the fans in attendance were willing to spend cash on merchandise, but how much money did the promotion leave on the table if there was enough in stock for everything that fans could've bought at the event? Obviously, it remains to be seen if the demand for the product will remain the same next year, but it will be interesting to see if there are diminishing returns in the international markets the way that there was a decline in ticket sales in the United States. 

The career of Stacy Hunter

As a commentator on the local scene in Pittsburgh, a region known as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced, I've seen a myriad of things that will only occur in the over-the-top genre of the squared circle. I've seen genuinely emotional moments based on championship glory or in-ring accomplishments, and I've also seen things go completely off the rails. That simply goes with the territory of the independent wrestling business. I've seen fans try to fight wrestlers, I've seen fans try to fight fans, I've seen fans make the mistake of getting in the ring, and I've even seen a fan climb under the ring.

It's a circus of thrills, spills, and death-defying feats, which is apropos for the the sport that originated from the carnival circuit.

One of the most interesting aspects from an inside perspective the industry is the paradigm of the performers themselves, those that are often a menace to society through rilling up the audiences on the weekends, are average civilians in society during the week. Their normal 9-5 day job is mundane compared to the transformation of the persona they have once they walk through the curtain to irritate the paying customers. Of course, it's all by design, with the prodding of the audience a prelude to when the baby face hero gets a measure of revenge against the villains. 

One such example is a former wrestler and freshly-returned valet to the tri-state area, the devious Stacy Hunter. I've seen mere her presence at ringside prompted fans to call her vulgarizes that would make a sailor blush. Her loud and obnoxious pro wrestling persona was only her real-life enthusiasm amplified with the intention of generating jeers from the audience.

The secret is, the fans that would bellow loud obscenities toward reacted exactly as she had hoped for.

"The timing, facial expressions, body language, and the ability to get your person over and not yourself," Stacy explained when asked what was the key to the managerial role.

"Stacy has always been committed to the visual aspect of what a manager should be. A natural heat magnet, she has always excelled being paired with those of a villainous nature," said Mike MacGowan, who broke into the sport around the same time as Hunter.

Much different from the boom in women's professional wrestling today, which saw females main event some of the biggest stages in the entire industry in recent years, when Hunter broke into the business in 1994, the chances to get a start in the sport were limited, and the opportunity to hone the craft was sparse. 

It wasn't until a chance meeting with the late, "Gentleman" Joe Perri, an early pioneer of the independent circuit of the steel city, that the door was opened to even attempt to pursue some level of sports entertainment for a female competitor. Being a diehard fan of "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning, it was a chance that Hunter jumped at.

"Joe Perri found a friend of mine, asked her if she wanted to do wrestling,  and she said no, but she knew I did. It went from there, I can honestly say I don't remember who was training back then, but I also trained later with BA Briggs. Joe's place was in New Kensington, and The first show was in Penn Hills," Stacy said.

However, with very few opportunities for females on the national stages and even less on the independent level, Stacy was forced to spend the mid and late-90s picking up appearances and training opportunities wherever she could. Ironically, the same grappler she traveled with during those days, "Highlander" Mike MacGowan, is her current client on the independent circuit after her recent return to the business.

It wasn't until the early-2000s, specifically after the consolidation of the national organizations in the industry that Stacy found that there were more chances for women to step inside the ring ropes. However, looking back on those meager times in her career, Hunter cites a level of excitement for the women that get a chance to excel at each level of the business today.

"It's been amazing how far the women have come. It's so awesome to see so many women in Pittsburgh now when, during my time, there was just me and Krystal Frost," Stacy commented.

"Stacy is unique, a one-of-one, if you will. She is tough as nails, but she isn't a one-dimensional character. She has depth in her ability because she can not only get heat, but she can also get physical, which from a wrestler standpoint, gives you a lot more to work with." said BC Steele, a former manager and commentator of the Pittsburgh circuit.

During the first decade of the 2000s, Stacy was around a wrestling ring more often than not, with most weekends being spent either hitting the canvas as a wrestler or ranting on the microphone as a valet. Her travels took her around the tri-state area and along the east coast. Western Pennsylvania was her home, where she was primarily based out of the now-defunct NWA East organization, but pro wrestling took her to Ohio, West Virginia, and New Jersey for an alphabet soup of promotions.

"I did a show in Philly at the old ECW arena, I did a WXW battle royal, I did a taping for a GLOW-type show called CRUSH, I'm the first woman in the PWX Burgh Brawl, and I had a shot at the NWA Women's title," Hunter remarked.

"If there is one thing fans love more than booing Stacy Hunter, it’s seeing her get her butt kicked. I remember a “Fan Appreciation Night” where members of the audience chose from names on the roster to put matches together. I ended up teaming with Stacy that night against Da Munchies, because the fans thought it would be funny to see her in the ring against a 400-pound. dude. But the joke was on them because while she was mainly used as a manager, she relished any chance she got to step in the ring as a wrestler, whether it was against a man or woman," said Dash Bennett, a former accomplished grappler that had a reign as NWA East Heavyweight champion under Stacy's guidance.

"Once I finally realized her value and fully leaned into it, we were unstoppable.  No one could touch the crowd reactions we were getting, which far exceeded any either of us achieved on her own. We found our chemistry and created a formula that worked," added Dash as he reflected on one of the highlights of his own 20-year career.

Remember that personality paradigm from earlier?

When she wasn't a heelish pro wrestling manager, Stacy was a mom of two youngsters by the early-2010s. When she wasn't getting cussed at by fans at an event, she was cussing at her television in frustration as a rabid Pirates fan as she watched her baseball team struggle to find a victory. Her brash in-ring persona was a contrast to her bubbly personality that fueled her Marvel fandom. The rule-breaker of the ring actually had an extensive collection of friendly POP Funkos.

After years of bumps, bruises, suplexes, and frog splashes, Stacy stepped away from the industry in 2013 to focus on her regular job outside of wrestling and being a mom to the previously mentioned two young kids. She assumed her time inside the world of professional wrestling was over, never envisioning a circumstance that would draw her back into the business.

Just a few years ago, she was at a small independent card with her old riding partner, MacGowan when the organization was without a ring announcer at the last-minute so Hunter was a substitute, something she assumed was a one-off. It didn't take long for the allure of the action to bring her back to ringside.

"Honestly, I was nervous coming back because it had been so long, but I'm starting to feel like my old self again and I'm having a great time," Stacy said.

"Like so many, she is drawn back to ringside again and again with those she feels she can help elevate. I've known her for 27 years, and our relationship has gone through all the upstairs and downs this business could offer. We're currently doing one last tour through various companies, seeing if we still mesh, and hopefully make one more lasting impact," said MacGowan.

With the start of 2025, Stacy Hunter, with her kids almost as old now as she was when she started in the industry, is back at ringside to generate the jeers of the audience more than a decade after she thought for sure that she was completely finished with the squared circle. On any given weekend, her and MacGowan can be found zigzagging around the tri-state area for wrestling, the same way they did many years ago. Even when Stacy isn't scheduled for the card, you can find her at a merch table while The Highlander is in the ring, as she cites the renewed enthusiasm she has for the atmosphere of live events. She also cited the chance to work with young talent and help pass down her knowledge as so many had done for her previously, as one of the motivating factors for her return to sports entertainment.

From a ringside menace to to a dedicated mom, back to a agitating manager, there's no doubt that the extended career of Stacy Hunter has spanned different eras of the industry and she was able to adapt to the climate, making her one of the most memorable managers of the Pittsburgh scene.

WWE releases

There were a myriad of releases across the pro wrestling landscape recently, with many appearing to be cannon fodder in the grand scheme of things, but there were also a few key exits that could have an interesting domino effect in the business in the future. The WWE cuts that were made include Sonya Deville, Paul Ellering, Authors of Pain, Blair Davenport, The Good Brothers, Cedric Alexander,  Isla Dawn, Giovanni Vinci, and Elektra Lopez.

Nothing against Blair Davenport or Isla Dawn but neither of them did anything of substance on the main roster so outside of their names specifically being mentioned, their releases from the company probably would've gone unnoticed. The same could be said for Elektra Lopez on the NXT brand. It's not a knock against their skills or potential, but rather how they were presented, or in some cases, not presented as important performers among the WWE landscape.

I was somewhat surprised that The Authors of Pain got their pink slips again, mostly because outside of being showcased upon their return, and being used as opponents for the Wyatt Sicks, they didn't really get a chance to do much on Raw. The faction with Karrion  Kross could've theoretically given them something to do, but it ultimately slotted them as secondary goons, and when the group stalled, so did any chance of momentum for them. At 71, it was legitimately good that Paul Ellering had the chance to make some more cash from the pro wrestling business, given his memorable runs as a wrestler and a manager, but obviously, he wasn't going to continue traveling at his age for another decade so by nature, he had a limited role with the stable. Along with that, I'm not necessarily shocked that The Good Brothers were cut from the WWE again, particularly because their main role there was as sidekicks to AJ Styles, which is fine, but given that they were off television because of a Karl Anderson injury, there probably wasn't another reunion of the OC in the cards for them. Don't get me wrong, they are a very solid tag team, but despite their two stints in WWE, I'm honestly not sure if Luke Gallows and Anderson truly fit into the mold of a WWE tag team. It's important to note that the pair made a name for themselves during the peak of the Bullet Club run in New Japan and rode that momentum to a WWE deal in 2016, but the American heavyweight tag style that provides variety in Japan is more or less run-of-the-mill tag stuff on main stream television in the United States. Considering that New Japan is struggling to add depth to its roster, I think it's a safe bet that Anderson and Gallows can return to Japan for a needed boost to the Japanese league. More than anything, these specific cuts to the tag division almost underscore that tag teams still aren't a major priority for the WWE.

It's disappointing that Cedric Alexander was released from his WWE contract. In many ways, he was a victim of circumstances, as his talent isn't in question. Quite simply, even in the modern era under the direction of Triple H, it seems like there's still a ceiling for a pure cruiser weight wrestler. After The Hurt Business was disbanded, Cedric was more or less labeled as a "good hand" on the roster, which is a valuable asset to the company as far as working with younger talent, but at the same time, it's not a role that the office associates with star power. The vast majority of the time, I wouldn't advise AEW to add anyone to its already bloated roster, but considering Cedric's previous association with The Hurt Syndicate, it would make sense to sign him to join the group. He would be a quality addition to the roster as a performer that can work the high spot style with a level of psychology to maximize its effectiveness.  In some respects, Giovanni Vinci was in the same category, he's a solid hand in the ring and seemed to do well with what he was given, but after he was booted from the Gunther group last year, there wasn't really a direction for him. Furthermore, despite the start of a new gimmick recently, he wasn't given enough time to establish himself in the role so this might be a case where he goes elsewhere to reinvent himself before he returns with a fresh start to WWE.

In terms of star power, Sonya Deville, who won't have her contract renewed later this month rather than be released, was probably the biggest name on the list. Deville spent almost ten years under the WWE banner, and at 31, it's very possible that this departure from the company is just a way for her to freshen up her presentation. Despite the reports of her exit online, it wasn't made clear if the decision was made by the office or if Sonya decides not to ink a new contract to be able to take a break from the WWE schedule.

From the All Elite Wrestling side of the equation, Ricky Starks, Malakai Black, and Miro were finally released from the organization.

First and probably most importantly, Ricky Starks already made his expected jump to WWE, debuting on the NXT television show this week. Starks was on ice for almost a year in All Elite Wrestling, with his GCW matches canceled last November after some comments made on a podcast from GCW champion, Effy. It's tough to say how far Starks will move up the ladder in WWE, especially because of the amount of talent already under contract, but at the very least, the potential is there for him to have a major upside for the organization. Despite being on television, I still put very little stock in what a talent does in NXT, mostly because it's very clear that Raw and Smackdown are where the stars are truly made or maintained among the WWE scene. If I had to guess, I'd say Starks was a very valuable signing for the TKO corporation and it will be interesting to see how he makes progress in the company.

Malakai Black and Miro were cut from AEW after extensive speculation about their status. Miro hasn't wrestled for the organization in almost a year and a half and was off the radar before that as well. Reportedly, Miro didn't agree to booking suggestions and was basically kept home while he collected a paycheck from Tony Khan. Along the same lines, it was often reported that Black's lack of regular appearances in recent years on  television were because he refused to lose matches.

It's a very interesting scenario to consider because, would either Miro or Black refuse to do their job if Triple H was the boss?

As talented as Miro is, he's been away from television for such an extended period of time, I'm not sure he'd make a major splash in the current WWE beyond just the artificial debut pop. Ironically, both left WWE with the thought that they'd have a better career path in All Elite, but both also learned that sometimes that cliche that the grass isn't always greener on the other side can be true. The problem is, I'm not sure that Miro proved that he should have a better spot the four and a half years he spent away from WWE. Sure, the early portion of his All Elite tenure was minimized by silly booking, but did he really prove he could be a better star by refusing any booking suggestions for almost two years? If Miro returns to the WWE, especially at 39, it wouldn't be too surprising if he was regulated to the same lower card role that he had previously.

On the flip side, Malakai Black opts to make a comeback to WWE, I think he could fit in well with the current direction of the product, particularly with the Judgment Day stable. While Miro simply refused to agree to any booking suggestions, which is somewhat misguided because as I said, it doesn't give him the opportunity to showcase himself, I got the impression that Black basically wasn't going to agree to do anything silly, at least from his point of view. Granted, it's still the wrong tactic to use in booking disagreements because if you've signed the contract and you're taking the money then you should be willing to work with the promoter. The point being, it's much easier to see Malakai Black return to the WWE, especially under the direction of Triple H, who ran the NXT brand when Black was featured on the shows.

The biggest takeaway from this situation shouldn't necessarily be the releases themselves, it's more or less an annual tradition for the WWE as the office makes room for more talent to be added to different divisions of the company. It certainly doesn't mean that conclusion of a career, and in some cases, can be a key part of a brighter future in the grand scheme of things. However, and this might be repetitive, but it remains true, particularly with the NXT debut of Ricky Starks, this could be yet another example where a talent leaves All Elite to be spotlighted exponentially better in the WWE, which almost reinforces some of the narratives of the industry.

The career of Marcus DeAngelo

In November of 1991, Marcus DeAngelo found himself in front of the television on a Saturday morning following his usual routine of any youngster of the era that became a fan of the vibrant colors of the World Wrestling Federation, a bowl of equally colorful breakfast cereal, and the WWF Superstars show beamed through the screen. On this particular episode, the sinister Jake "The Snake" Roberts would lure fan favorite "Macho Man" Randy Savage into the ring, and what happened next became etched into the minds of fans as a topic of discussed even today.

With Macho trapped in the ropes, Jake lived up to his name when he revealed a legitimate king cobra from his trademark bag at ringside. The actual snake latched onto Savage's arm while the figurative snake taunted him. The iconic "Rowdy" Roddy Piper rushed to the ring from the broadcast position to help his fallen friend. The usually exquisite Ms. Elizabeth was hysterical as Macho was delirious from the perceived venom from the Cobra bite. The villainous Roberts cackled at the chaotic scene.

The young DeAngelo didn't know it at the time, but a few decades later, not only would he form a friendship with the snake man, but would be a co-host of his podcast, "The Snake Pit," a show on the network of Conrad Thompson, a real estate czar that parlayed his fandom of professional wrestling into a gig that eventually became one of the most influential forces among the sports entertainment landscape.

"In mid-2021, I saw that Ad Free Shows was hiring a social media guy. I had been doing marketing for a small company locally, and dreaming of what life would be like to be Conrad Thompson and have the opportunity to make a living speaking to guys you grew up admiring. I applied for the job and asked Dominic to put in a good word for me with the connections he had made as a wrestling journalist. I was hired and did all the social media for AFS for more than a year. During that time, I had become friends with Jake Roberts, and one day, Conrad called me and asked if I’d like to do a show with Jake. From there, things just continued to grow, Jake continued to introduce me to his friends like Jim Duggan and Ted DiBiase, and I was off to the races," Marcus explained.

"As far as the podcast network, I started working with Conrad Thompson at AdFreeShows before Marcus, myself and Paul Bromwell started our show, and while Marcus does his respective podcasts with DiBiase, Duggan and Jake Roberts, I do my own with RVD, Magnum TA, Greg Gagne & Bill Alfonso," said Marcus' brother, Dominic DeAngelo.

Marcus' mundane 9-to-5 gig was traded in for stories of Mid South under the reign of the hard-nosed Bill Watts, the early expansion of the WWF, and other gems that fans were eager to hear the legends that lived through the often wild era of the 80s when pro wrestling mixed with the MTV pop culture of its heyday.

With pythons, 2X4s, and mysterious mountains of cash as the backdrop, Marcus began to make a name for himself in the podcast world, particularly when stories of Andre, Iron Sheik, and JYD garnered a hefty amount of listeners across his various podcast projects. Always on the lookout for a good story, DeAngelo thought of a narrative that the audience could follow, putting himself in the mix as he had never done before. He wouldn't just guide the elder statesmen of industry through the golden years of their careers, but rather he would become the focal point of the story.

What would happen if a podcaster that talks about wrestling with some of the biggest legends of the sport actual steps inside the ring to take some bumps the same way those grapplers had?

"My plan was initially to document my journey to one match, and then step away from in-ring performance," Marcus remarked.

Similar to any endeavor that requires an education and a level of skill, Marcus had to go to school. So, he found the Iron City Wrestling Academy, the training center affiliated with the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the longest-running and most influential independent groups in the Pittsburgh area. While Justin Plummer has promoted the brand successfully for more than a decade, the organization was originally founded by local radio personality, Bubba The Bulldog in 2001 before it was ran for almost ten years by "Notorious" Norm Connors, who is widely regarded as the godfather of Pittsburgh independent circuit. Names like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, CM Punk, Troy Lords, Shirley Doe, and Dennis Gregory were just some of the national and local names that were staples of the promotion at one time or another.

The tedious process of landing on the stiff canvas repeatedly to learn the safest way possible to hit the mat was certainly a shock to the system. However, it wasn't long before the chance to step inside the ring ropes became something that Marcus looked forward to every week. Just like when he sat in front of his television screen to watch the action as a child, or his computer screen to discuss the industry with the legends as an adult, the "wrestling bug" bit Marcus again. 

"I started to fall in love with the in-ring part of the business and I received a lot of encouragement from my trainers and some of the wrestlers who told me that I was good enough to keep going past just one match. I decided I should really throw myself into it, and now I’m planning on wrestling until my body tells me I can’t anymore. The training at the ICWA was absolutely incredible and I would strongly encourage anyone in the surrounding area to start there if they want to learn how to do things the right way," DeAngelo said.

"Marcus has been an absolute student of the game.  He has something that cannot be taught; instinct.  I have really enjoyed passing down knowledge to him. He has always been very receptive," said Bobby Piskor, one of the head trainers and organizers behind the scenes of IWC, with the resume of his own that stretches back nearly a quarter of a century.

In November of last year, months of training, and years of fandom before that led to Marcus DeAngelo's official in-ring debut in the sport. A combination of nervous energy and excitement ran through him as he stood behind the black curtain, waiting for his cue to walk literally under the bright lights of the Marx's Sports Center venue. His in-ring persona of a pompous podcaster fell in defeat to local favorite, "The Handyman" Sam Handleman at around the six-minute mark, but the real-life Marcus only had gratitude for the chance to live out a dream that he never thought would become a reality.

"Getting to go out there in front of a live crowd after the months of training and feeling that energy was an irreplaceable moment. The cherry on top was that Tommy Dreamer was on the card and he was the first person I spoke to after coming back through the curtain. He gave great input on my match, and having the opportunity to speak to him moments after coming through the curtain was incredibly valuable to my growth," Marcus said.

"So, it's really rewarding to see Marcus jump into the wrestling ring. In certain ways, he's representing both our love and appreciation for the business. Before he stepped out of the curtain for his first time, we reminisced how we grew up doing this together in the living room. Marcus has always been an athlete and to see him jump in as a late bloomer, it speaks to his confidence and his God-given ability to take to the genre so organically. It's truly amazing and I'm super proud of him," added Dominic.

Despite officially turning pro, Marcus still cites his background in podcasting as the foundation of the genesis of his leap into the in-ring aspect of the industry. In fact, with the pursuit of his own pro wrestling glory, Marcus was gifted the infamous black glove from Ted Dibiase's Mid South days.

"My work in podcasting has helped me more than I can really describe. Hearing guys like Jake, Ted, and Hacksaw break down the nuances of wrestling for years had me feeling very prepared for what was to come. All the talents I work with have also been very generous with their time, answering my questions," explained Marcus.

So, with a fresh pair of wrestling boots and the potential foreign object in the black glove when needed, Marcus has spent the past few months doing exactly what any rookie of the industry should do when they break into the independent scene, continuing to hone his craft and picking up opportunities anywhere he can find them. However, Marcus' determination isn't limited to just a chance to get into the ring, he wants to take his talents as far as he can in the industry.

"I have a number of goals. I want to continually improve, I want to make more connections in the business, and of course, I’d love to get a contract somewhere," he concluded.

What's next for Jey Uso?

The opening segment of WWE Raw was very solid, it gave Jey Uso, the winner of the 2025 Royal Rumble, a grand entrance to add an extra spotlight onto him and in the process make him look like a bigger star because of it. That's a key piece of the puzzle ahead of Wrestlemania 41 in Las Vegas in just over two months, as management needs to shine him as much as possible to be put in a position as a credible main event performer for either night one or night two at the biggest event on the calendar.

Yes, two nights of Wrestlemania dilutes the concept, especially because the previous amount of limited spots on the card for any given year emphasized the importance of the stars that had a place on the line-up. However, after the brand of WM became so successful that it became vastly a travel crowd, it made sense for the corporation to maximize revenue, and if the fans are willing to fly in for the pay-per-view then a second night provided an added value to the experience, while more or less doubling the revenue associated with the live events.

So, that necessitates that the company have more than one signature main event to promote for Wrestlemania each year. As I wrote in the review about the Royal Rumble, Jey winning was surprising, not necessarily a negative, just surprising.

If Jey Uso rises to the occasion as a main event performer remains to be seen, but after so many years of Vince McMahon using part-timers and stars from the past as a booking crutch, it's good to see that the promotion is going to take a chance on moving someone new up the ladder.

As mentioned, the opening of Raw was a major positive for the case to be made for Jey to possibly be a future champion. Jey did the full crowd interaction as he made his way through the arena, and the argument could be made that his entrance is the most over portion of his entire act, which might or might not be a good thing. The entire arena was behind him and the visual alone is a tremendous example of how over he is with the audience.

I've said this before about WWE and other organizations within sports entertainment, perception is reality, and the opening of Raw definitely gives viewers the perception that Jey Uso is a major star that is more than over enough with the crowd to be a part of the main event scene of Wrestlemania. If that would've been the consensus prior to the Rumble is irrelevant, the bottom line is this, the audience seems to have embraced the notion that Uso is ready for the next level. 

On the flip side, the same couldn't be said for Charlotte Flair later in the night.

The next important portion of the segment was the promo itself. It might be cliche, but sometimes it's a cliche because it's true. Professional wrestling has drawn crowds for decades, albeit to varying degrees based on different circumstances, based on human psychology. The emotional investment into a performer or character is ultimately what draws money on a major league level. The audience believed in Stone Cold Steve Austin as the wild redneck that stood up to corporate corruption, they believed that Mick Foley was the dreamer that was willing to sacrifice his body for championship glory, and they believe that John Cena is the real-life super hero that does what's right.

When Jey Uso legitimately got emotional when he tried to speak on Raw because of the reception that the crowd gave him, it emphasized that he realized that he wouldn't be in the position he is today without the organic support of the audience. Let's be honest here, when the Usos were doing the face paint as a generic baby face tag team would anyone have thought there was even a chance that either one of them would be anyone near the main event of Wrestlemania? There were several second generation stars that had a run in the WWE over the years based on their last name before they faded into obscurity. There are Randy Orton and Charlotte Flair, and then there are Manu and Ted Dibiase Jr.

So, there was a journey and a story behind the destination of Wrestlemania that the fans can invest in for the Jey Uso character. He went from a mid-card tag team that could've coasted on his family's legacy to stay employed for several years while remaining in the same position on the card, but instead, there's a journey and a destination.

It certainly makes it easier for the crowd to be emotionally invested in the results of the championship bout at Wrestlemania when they can see the genuine appreciation that Jey had for their support on Raw.

This is the stark contrast between the approach that Tony Khan has taken with his pro wrestling project compared to the WWE's narrative for the product, which isn't to say that one is automatically better than the other, but rather to point out that the building blocks of the genre remain the same regardless of the presentation.

Will Ospreay is undoubtedly one of the best in-ring performers in the world, and if he stays on this path, he could end up with a legendary career by the time he retires. I don't think it would be an insult, given the British grappler's level of talent, to say that Ospreay is generally a better athlete than Jey Uso in the ring. However, and this is the biggest point to be made with this column, Jey Uso is put in a position to be a bigger star relative to the size of the organization that he works for than Ospreay is to AEW simply because Uso's journey to the championship builds the drama and thus the emotional investment to allow for the biggest payoff possible.

How many times have we seen Will Ospreay thrown into these one-off "dream matches" for nothing more than the artificial endorsement of star ratings in The Wrestling Observer newsletter? As I've said many times, unless getting seven stars has a cash prize with it, the primary goal should be what's going to maximize revenue on a long-term basis, not to cater to a niche newsletter.

However, this is far from a knock on AEW, it's just that the difference between the two products, and ultimately what's missing from Tony Khan's program, was made even more apparent during the promo on Raw. Make no mistake about it, All Elite has more than enough pure talent to be in a much better position than they are right now, garnering 604,000 viewers for last week's episode of Dynamite, a 40% decline from where the numbers were two and a half years ago.

Will Ospreay isn't being positioned to be the savior of the AEW championship from the clutches of Jon Moxley, who still doesn't have a specific point to the rambling promos that we've heard for almost six months. Instead, Ospreay will work a tag match with Kenny Omega against the Callis family, which was the same thing he was doing last year, at the Grand Slam event in Australia next weekend, an event that originally sold so poorly that it was moved from a stadium to a much smaller venue.

Where's the journey and the destination for Will Ospreay? Jeff Jarrett's journey as the old gunslinger that wanted one more run with the title before he hung up his boots was over before it started. What's the destination of the Moxley faction? The frustrating part is that Tony Khan probably hasn't decided it yet.

On the flip side, the argument could be made that Jey Uso stamped his ticket to be the future world champion with just the authenticity and the emotion from the promo on Raw. Granted, if Jey is truly going to be successful as a top guy, he will have to be able to rise to the occasion in terms of in-ring performance, but as far as the narrative, there's a storyline in place to allow him the opportunity to be successful. Jey is the gritty challenger that most didn't think would be a main event guy against the dominate champion, Gunther that has a persona that lends itself to the storyline where the baby face will have to overcome the odds to win the title.