AEW releases

By all accounts, Tony Khan is a genuinely good guy that legitimately cares about his roster, that notion sincerely is a wonderful part of the existence of All Elite Wrestling, specifically from an internal perspective. Granted, being a genuinely good guy doesn't qualify Tony Khan to be a pro wrestling booker or automatically make him a successful promoter, which is why one of the many criticisms of his promotion is that it often resembles more of a vanity project that can be paid for by his billionaire family than a serious business venture that has to make a profit to sustain itself. Tony Khan is undoubtedly a better person than Vince McMahon will ever be, but won't get even close to the success of the former emperor of the WWF. Thankfully, Triple H is proving, at least so far in his tenure as the head of the WWE, that it's possible to run the company very successfully without scandals.

A part of Tony's generosity, he certainly gives opportunity, and while there's definitely something truly wholesome about a performer getting a chance to land their dream job of a national contract, the number of talents signed to AEW deals, particularly those that pay them full-time money, is almost comical at this point.

In some ways, it makes me wonder if Tony inks certain talents to contracts just to have them on the roster without any plan for them going forward, or simply to prevent them from potentially signing with WWE, assuming that he will find something for them to do at some point. The ironic part of that is, some of those grapplers might not have been on WWE's radar anyway.

Don't get me wrong, if a talent can make full-time money in sports entertainment then good for them. Making the most money possible for as long as possible is the entire point of the business, especially when they aren't any pension or retirement plans after a performer hangs up their boots. Hopefully, the current generation can avoid the pitfalls of talent from the past to make sure they have financial security on a long-term basis as a way to learn from those cautionary tales, but at the same time, the fact remains that most talents have to consider the opportunity to make a specific amount of money at any given time compared to pursing opportunities to boost their value to make bigger money in the grand scheme of things.

Sometimes, I wonder if some of those All Elite contracted performers, who through no fault of their own that are lost in the shuffle or a healthy scratch if Tony doesn't have something for them to do, take the short-term money because of the undoubted financial security it provides now at the expense of possibility a much bigger run elsewhere.

Again, please don't misunderstand me, I don't blame anyone, especially those that had to grind their way through the dirt-stained canvases of the independent circuit previously, that takes the bigger money and stability of a national contract. However, as I said, I wonder if they are selling themselves short as far as their value in the bigger picture.

Last week, I penned an article about some of the recent shuffle of the free agent market, including Josh Alexander's decision to ink an AEW deal, and Mina Shirakawa's exit from Stardom. That was based on possible arrivals to the organization, but on the other end of the spectrum, there are some performers, even those that were recently released, that might be better off to explore their options than to remain in purgatory, as far as not being used by AEW.

I randomly heard the name Scorpio Sky on a recent podcast, and it actually reminded me that he still had a job, but then the question was, where is this guy? Apparently, at least from what I could find from a quick online search, he's healthy, just simply not being used by the promotion. The last match he had in AEW was September 2023 and then he worked a ROH taping the month after that so he hasn't done anything for the company in any form or fashion in a year and a half, but he's still under contract. Did the office forget that he worked there? Is this a situation similar to when WCW forget about The Iron Sheik's contract in 1990? Listen, I'm not saying that Scorpio Sky would be a Wrestlemania main eventer if he wasn't still under an All Elite deal, and I don't blame him for taking the cash since he's being paid by the terms of the agreement, but what's the point of sending the guy a check if the company isn't going to use him for anything? At 42, maybe Sky doesn't think it's worthwhile to try to start fresh somewhere else, but it seems like a waste of his skills, and a waste of All Elite payroll for him to be kept home since the end of 2023.

There were a series of AEW releases recently, as I've written about the more well-known names at the time that they left the company, and some of them, including Ricky Starks have already made their way to WWE. Fightful Select reported this week that Miro, the former Rusev, re-signed with the company as well. A side note about Miro, I'm somewhat surprised that the WWE would offer him another deal since his rocky tenure in AEW, particularly when he refused any suggested storylines, seemed to suggest that he might be difficult to work with at this point in his career. Furthermore, as I wrote previously, I don't think Miro did enough in his All Elite stint to truly boost his stock as a performer so I could see him being regulated back to the mid-card upon his return to WWE. It goes without saying that Malakai Black will be back into the WWE fold sooner rather than later. The same can be said for Rey Fenix, who finally got his release from the company after he was kept on ice for several months.

However, it was also reported that Abadon won't see their contract renewed, which I have to say is a shame since they got in the best shape of their career recently, but were MIA from AEW programming. The gimmick and the presentation was very well done, but they were signed to an All Elite contract when they only had about a year of experience so the argument could be made that they weren't TV ready at the time. Still, with someone that unique, especially if they were under contract for almost five years, it seems like it would've beeen worth the investment to try to develop Abadon as a performer. Unfortunately, all things considered, despite the nearly five years under an AEW contract, I don't think they truly got the chance to show anything beyond just a basic TV match so the structure or lack thereof within the organization probably hinder their ability to evolve as a performer.

The same could be said for Leyla Hirsch, as she was under contract for a few years, but was never put in a position where she could showcase her skills or truly move up the card as anything more than a preliminary wrestler. Granted, she had a knee injury during her All Elite tenure, but given her amateur wrestling background, it seems like the company could've done more with it. Nick Comoroto is another wrestler that won't have his contract renewed, but is more or less in the same category. He was sidelined with an injury at one point, but even outside of that wasn't given the chance to be anything other than one of the countless preliminary wrestlers on the roster that got lost in the shuffle.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying any of these competitors are automatically the next top-drawing stars in the business, but if they aren't given the platform or at least the chance to show what they bring to the table  than there's a possibility that it could be a missed opportunity.

That's where there's somewhat of an "opportunity cost" so to speak for those that opt to stay under an AEW contract since being lost in the shuffle or in the witness protection program of the Ring Of Honor project minimizes their value on the industry. As mention, they have the security on a national contract and the solid money that goes along with it, but are some talents sacrificing the prime years of their careers and thus the chance to make bigger money elsewhere when they're stuck in catering at a Dynamite taping? Taking into account how thin the current New Japan roster is because of how many of their marquee stars were signed away in recent years, it's possible that underutilized talent could find a platform to showcase their ability in the Japanese organization.

John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes

Professional wrestling, regardless of what form is takes, is still based on psychology and emotion, particularly because that's the most direct way to connect with the audience. Sure. those five-star Tokyo Dome classics are incredible, but isn't the cream of the crop still performed with a level of psychology that maximizes the in-ring efforts? Aren't those thirty-minutes battles truly memorable because of how the audience felt during those peaks and valleys before the final bell?

I think that's the stark difference between the perspective that some take when they look at the modern landscape compared to the building blocks of the industry that have remained a part of the foundation of the business, simply because those fundamentals are woven into the fabric of the genre. Granted, sports entertainment is subjective, if someone enjoys a 20-minute sprint of an overly-cherographed routine based purely on the athleticism without much other substance, they have a right to enjoy that type of performance.

However, I also think it's fair to say that there's much more depth to a performance when the audience is invested in who's in the ring, not just the moves themselves. If wrestlers become interchangeable, is there truly an emotional connection to the audience? Isn't there more longevity for the performer as a top draw if the crowd cares about them on an individual basis?

This week's edition of Raw, specifically the opening promo with John Cena and Cody Rhodes, was a prime example of this.

The way this story is steadily unfolding is being very well done, as it has consistently had enough meat on the bone on a weekly basis to give the fans a reason to tune in without putting everything out there too early to avoid a plateau in momentum ahead of their anticipated Wrestlemania bout. The audience saw a shaken Cody Rhodes react the week after the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, which was a segment that emphasized the shock of the heel turn. In the weeks that followed, John Cena made his first public comments, blaming the audience for having to endure years of their hostility without ever turning his back on the loyal portion of the fan base. The promos had depth, as the segment did on Monday, because John Cena had a point. There were layers to the segment, and that's ultimately why the storyline has remained compelling as the build toward Wrestlemania progresses on Netflix.

Cena never compromised his values until he did, which spotlights how much of a villain he really is in 2025, because a true baby face never compromises their morals. Hence why Cody Rhodes refused The Rock's offer a few months ago. Cena caved to the pressure and took the easy road, which proves, at least in theory, he wasn't the solid baby face the audience thought that he was. Sure, in some ways, Cena is justified, but the bottom line is, he gave up on his loyal fan base before they gave up on him, which is the reason that this heel run has the level of heat that it does.

With that as the foundation, the narrative has moved toward the direct confrontation between champion and challenger, as it should, since the championship at stake is what will be on the line in Las Vegas. Of course, the context of what the title means, in this case, Cena's threat to retire with it, is what's built within the segments before the pay-per-view.

The background for the justification of the heel turn and the importance of the championship as far as what's on the line with the result of the match were established so this past Monday was the way for the personal grudge to take center stage in the storyline.

The structure of the promo was very well done, and the two in the ring are such pros that they knew to allow the atmosphere to maximize the moment. The European market can't get many live events each year because of the travel and logistics of a company based in the United States so they were enthusiastic about everything they saw, including a confrontation between the two performers in the main event of Wrestlemania. Just the visual of Cena and Cody face-to-face in the ring was enough to get a wild reaction from the crowd because they knew that something compelling was going to happen when they finally spoke on the mic.

I think it's fair to say that the way that this entire angle is being presented is being done in a delicate fashion to avoid the fans siding with Cena as the "cool heel" as a way for the modern fans to pat themselves on the back since the rejection of the presented narrative is somehow seen as a badge of honor amongst a certain demographic of the audience. The fact that the WWE chose to spotlight that type of nonsense with network specials on when crowds hijacked the shows didn't help matters. That's why Cena didn't give the audience anything that they wanted from when there were years of demands for him to become a villain. They didn't get a new look, new music, or a new move set. He kept the same song, the same bright t-shirts, and the same five moves that generated jeers in the first place because this time around, his character is specifically designed for the negative reaction.

Furthermore, as I've written about before, nobody is going to truly be able to take the "John Cena spot" as the representative of the company if John Cena is still in that position so this heel turn is a way for him to pass the torch to Cody, albeit in a nontraditional manner.

So, when Cena got on the mic Monday, he leaned into the criticism of his baby face run, namely the spinner belt, as again, a way to reinforce the notion that the fans shouldn't rally behind him. The ingredient that this storyline needed to really kick it into gear prior to WM was a level of sizzle, which the promo definitely delivered on Netflix. If this was legitimately a grudge match with true resentment, nothing would be off the table between the two competitors. In some respects, they used the fact that the fans know more about the behind the scenes aspects on the industry than any time previously in history because of the numerous podcasts that discuss the topics, as well as social media.

Given the amount of main stream media coverage that Vince McMahon's disgraceful exit from the WWE received, even the most causal fan knows that he's persona non grata in the organization now so there's a level of animosity when Cody referred to Cena as Vince's chosen star because the audience knows that under most circumstances, the former owner wouldn't be mentioned at all. In a similar, but not nearly as sinister fashion, Cena responded with a reference to Tony Khan, specifically the notion that he's a money mark from a billionaire family. Obviously, it's just a way to work some extra heat into the promo, but there was a time when the WWE refused to reference any other organization, and the fact that this promo mentioned the "competition" is another way that it stood out as a main event storyline.

 At the conclusion of the segment, Cody landed his finisher on Cena, giving him a level of revenge for the cheap shot at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, but you can bet that Cena will probably beat down Cody at some point before Wrestlemania, which will gives the audience another reason to tune in to see what happens next.

The biggest takeaway from this promo shouldn't be the taboo topics that it covered, that was done occasionally before, but rather the way that it was presented, specifically with how the performers allowed their star power and the circumstances to maximize the effectiveness of the segment. The storyline needed a level of sizzle to continue to progress toward the main event of Wrestlemania and the segment accomplished it.