Night of Champions review

After missile strikes in the region and literal nuclear war as the point of contention, the WWE brought its Night of Champions event to Saudi Arabia, headlined by CM Punk, who previously criticized the government. Thankfully, this event and the Smackdown broadcast the previous day went through without incident. These Saudi shows are much more integrated into the WWE structure now than they were when the original deal was inked in 2018. The Saudi events were largely glorified house shows, as the government paid tens of millions of dollars for the sizzle of the brand, not necessarily the quality of the show itself. It was the oil money that brought Shawn Micheals out of retirement for a disastrous tag match that saw Triple H tear his pec and Kane's mask fell off. That same oil money led to the absolutely train wreck of The Undertaker vs. Bill Goldberg that same year. Infamously, when the contract was initially signed, the Saudis requested Yokozuna and The Ultimate Warrior for the show, despite the fact that they had both passed away years earlier. Instead, the current Saudi shows have an impact on the direction of the organization and thus give the domestic audience a reason to watch the pay-per-view.

Speaking of which, the PPV opened with the King of the Ring finals of Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton to determine who would go on to challenge for the WWE championship at Summer Slam in early August. The match itself was quality in terms of performance, everything they did was smooth and solid. They are two polished pros and this segment was a reflection of that notion. That being said, the circumstances around the bout in terms of the storyline created an unavoidable hurdle that prevented them from building any major drama as the contest went toward the finish. Given that it was John Cena that beat Rhodes at Wrestlemania, the fans knows that there's still unfinished business there. When you add that to the fact that Randy Orton just had a match with Cena for the belt last month, it was clear that he wasn't going to win to advance to Summer Slam. It didn't matter how many times he hit an RKO, there just wasn't a point in the match where it seemed like Cody was actually going to lose so most of the attempts at a false finish were flat. Cody got the victory to win the tournament, which doesn't have the same cache as it did years ago, but the segment still accomplished the goal of setting up the Cody/Cena rematch.

 Rhea Ripley defeated Raquel Rodriguez, and the dynamics of this match might've been a response to the shoulder injury that will sideline Liv Morgan for at least six months, according to reports. This was probably the best that Raquel Rodriguez has looked in terms of performance and perception. She took most of the match, presenting her as a contender rather than just the muscle for a bigger star. Ripley sold well and made her opponent look strong in the process. As trivial as it might sound, since they were both wearing very similar bodysuits, it led to a confusing visual during the counters and reverses throughout the contest. I've said for most of these Saudi cards and I will continue to say it, the scenarios where the female athletes have to wear Power Ranger outfits while the male talent get to wear the exact same gear that they usually wear is even more proof that this entire production is still a propaganda campaign. The Rip Tide off of the top rope on top of a table seemed like an unnecessary way to try to add something to the finish that made it more risky than it had to be. Ripley got the victory, but this segment was very well done as it showcased Raquel Rodriguez, too.

Sami Zayn beat Karrion Kross in just under 15 minutes for what was a very solid match. It seems like this was booked on the card in response to the organic support that Kross has received since he cut a promo on one of the panel shows about how he wasn't slated for the Wrestlemania line-up, despite the event being held in his hometown. Based on the reaction, his merchandise sells have done well, as they were added to the live event stands as opposed to just being available to order on the WWE Shop website. That being said, I'm not sure this match, his first pay-per-view match in an extended period of time, did anything to change his standing in the organization. He did really good character work here, adding to his current unstable persona, but the fans already know that the guy is a capable in-ring worker. He did the job and there was nothing done afterwards to suggest that there's more to the storyline. That's the issue, Kross hasn't done anything truly meaningful among the WWE landscape, despite the glimpses of compelling character work. The Wrestling Observer reports that Kross' contract expires this summer so this might be a scenario where if the office is going to get behind him with a significant push, they simply might be waiting to see if he's going to sign a new deal. It might sound simplistic, but it makes sense that the office isn't going to spotlight him just enough for him to get momentum that he could theoretically take elsewhere. All things considered, I think Kross' skills justify a bigger spot in the company, but the overall landscape is very crowded right now so it remains to be seen in there's truly a place for him to excel in the WWE.

As much as the perception of Kross is usually secondary, the same thing can be said for Solo Sikoa, and that's not a knock on him. Solo's role in the original bloodline was to be the enforcer and he did well with that role. After the Roman Reigns face turn, Solo was shifted into being the leader of his own faction in a relatively short time so it's a tough sell to get the fans to invest in that, especially when there's already the Rollins/Heyman group on Raw. That might be why it was a little too early for the office to turn Jacob Fatu baby face at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view last month, because he's essentially a more experienced and more spectacular version of what Solo was originally brought in to be. Again, that's not a jab against Solo, he's done well with what he was asked to do, this is just to point out that the circumstances of the storylines haven't done him any favors in terms of his position on Smackdown. Of course, the addition of Jeff Cobb and now Hikuleo to the stable adds some cache.

Still, and this is the biggest point to be made in this scenario, Solo was often cast as the guy that did the job to the bigger stars, not someone that was slotted to get his own push. For example, Solo worked the main event of Summer Slam against Cody Rhodes last year, but he lost. When he had a featured match against Roman Reigns on the historic Raw debut on Netflix, he was pinned. That's not to say that he should've won either on those matches, but rather that he hasn't been seen as someone that is on the level of the major stars in the company. The reaction to his match with Fatu at Night of Championship reflected that notion. The bout went about 12 minutes and the crowd was mostly quiet for it until the series of run-ins at the conclusion that saw Tonga Loa return from injury and the previously mentioned Hikuleo make his debut to allow for Solo to win the US championship. While I think it was way too soon for Fatu to drop the US belt, if this angle ultimately makes him a bigger star with a bigger role on Smackdown then it will be mission accomplished, as I honestly believe that he's a guy with the potential to eventually be one of the top stars in the entire company. Aside from that, it will be interesting to see how the new faction is handled and if it puts Solo in a bigger spot as US champion.

Jade Cargill defeated Asuka in about eight wins to advance to the title match at Summer Slam. I think all the things that were said about Jade upon her arrival in the WWE a few years ago are still true today. She looks like a star, she presents herself like a star, and she has the potential to be a major star. Unfortunately, it can also still be said today that despite being under contract since early 2024, she's still lacking the same skills as when she debuted. Granted, there aren't nearly the same amount of house shows for newer talent to work, but she's still within the WWE system with access to some of the best trainers in the industry. Asuka, who was on the injury list for a year with a knee injury that required surgery, is a true MVP of the business. In my opinion, she's already had a Hall of Fame career. This match was fine, it wasn't given enough time to get into second gear, but maybe that was by design. Asuka made Jade look good here, and that's enough for now, but when you take into account that this victory theoretically moves up her the card for a title match, she didn't seem like someone that was ready for a bigger spot in the division. The bottom line is, Jade is going to have to polish her in-ring skills to a measurable degree if she's going to evolve into the star that the company projects her to be in the future.

The main event was probably the best match of the current John Cena run, and if that was because of working with CM Punk is a matter of perspective. They didn't do anything flashy, and they didn't need to, as they stuck to the greatest hits and it worked. That said, this didn't pick up until the ending sequence with the Seth Rollins group involved, as it created some drama about where the championship would actually end up by the time the show went off the air. I'm not sure why CM Punk would shake Cena's hand, particularly because the entire premise of the heel run is that he couldn't be trusted, but maybe they are trying to speed up the narrative with his retirement looming in six months. The finish was very entertaining because as mentioned, the orchestrated chaos allowed for a lot of drama. After the Rollins group was discarded, Cena pinned Punk to retain the title.

What's the status of CM Punk?

CM Punk is a hypocrite, but you already knew that.

I've written for years that CM Punk is egotistical, self-centered, and generally a jerk. I've also always said that he's a talented jerk, and he has a fan base that undoubtedly makes him a star. In an era where the brand is often marketed a head of individual talent, CM Punk is one of the very few money-drawing stars that can move the needle based on his name value alone.

We saw in his initial WWE run that when the spotlight was on him, he was content to allow the WWE machine to promote him. When he was passed over for a bigger star like The Rock, he threw a temper tantrum under the guise of waning to make wrestling better. Sure, the real-life Phil Brooks wants to make the sports entertainment industry better as long as it benefits him in the process. That's not to say that he didn't have a point in the early 2010s when Vince McMahon fumbled the ball with the original pipe bomb promo, and of course, Triple H had to pin him on pay-per-view just to make sure the message was sent that the office was ultimately in control. 

Still, that doesn't make his crusade as a supposed martyr any less phony.

His rocky tenure in All Elite Wrestling proved just as much about him. There were seven years away from the business, a completely different company, and he was largely given the freedom to do whatever he wanted, including run his own Saturday show, where he had the power to determine who could or couldn't be on the program. 

That sort of nepotism sounds like something Triple H or Vince would've done in 2014, doesn't it?

Make no mistake about it, CM Punk ultimately didn't work out in All Elite Wrestling because the place is a vanity project that has the primary objective of allowing Tony Khan to play promoter, not draw money. The Young Bucks might be great guys as real-life people, but as pro wrestlers they are fragile and immature. The same can be said about Jack Perry, but that's a different discussion for a different time. For as much as Phil Brooks claimed that he wanted to improve pro wrestling, his total burial of the organization at a press conference, and the backstage fight that followed it, more or less can be used as a footnote in the history of the promotion that started its current decline, a slide that it may or may not truly recover from. Punk aired his dirty laundry in public, he allowed the audience to see that the alternative wasn't what it appeared to be, and thus the audience reconsidered if they were truly investing in the future of the business through their ticket and PPV purchases, or if they were indulging someone's aspirations to play Vince McMahon. The All Out incident created a domino effect, as backstage fights, disputes with talent, and an overall lack of structure created a negative perception that the organization still deals with today.

CM Punk was involved in two backstage fights and injured most of the two years that he spent under contract to Tony Khan. Granted, The Young Bucks should've been smart enough to put their personal problems aside and work with Punk to draw the biggest money possible for the organization, but they didn't have to because the goal of AEW isn't to draw money. Still, that doesn't change the fact that the entire point of the pro wrestling business is to make the most money possible, and if The Bucks were truly professionals, they would've been willing to work with him. Ironically, Punk walking out of WWE in 2014 wasn't the most professional choice either.

In an example of how insincere Punk is, when he was put on ice by Tony Khan following the original backstage fight, he implied on social media that he would work with The Bucks again. Burying the hatchet is an option when it casts him in a good light. When he was recovering from triceps surgery at the time, he visited backstage when TNA held a set of tapings in Chicago, and even made a brief visit backstage at Raw when the show was held there. There's no doubt that this was a way to let Tony Khan know that he would've theoretically had options to work elsewhere if he couldn't come to an agreement with AEW.

His first night back in the organization on the newly-launched Collision show in June of 2023, he got on the mic and took a few cheap shots at The Elite stable, proving that he's ultimately as immature as they are in terms of putting disputes aside to do business. The fight with Jack Perry two months later was because Perry is a dummy with no concept of proper business or the sport, which is a shame because he's very talented, but is too narrow-minded to realize his potential as a performer. Regardless, the incident was the second fight that Punk had so what else was Tony going to do? Obviously, his claim of "fearing for his life" after Punk slapped Perry was legal nonsense to protect the company, but realistically, there was no way Phil Brooks could work there.

His return to the WWE was probably out of spite more than anything else, but from the WWE side, they were on an upswing in terms of revenue, and adding CM Punk back to the roster added star power to the brand, which became even more important after the Netflix deal. Management also knew that they had the leverage, either Phil Brooks was going to work within the system or he was going to leave the most money that he could make as a wrestler on the table because All Elite wasn't an option for him. Of course, Punk fell in line because he knew that the WWE was going to be the place that he could make the cash and reignite his career. He wasn't going to go back to the indy circuit just for the love of the game, no should he. Again, sports entertainment is about making the money and WWE was only company where he was going to make similar money to what he made in AEW.

Some will claim that people grow and evolve, but let's keep in mind, he re-signed with the WWE three months after he smacked Jack Perry in Wembley Stadium. Did he really have some extensive metamorphosis over the course of just a few months?

This is taking nothing away from the fact that his WWE run has been tremendously entertaining, as he contributed to the shows even when he was recovering from another triceps injury. He's one of the biggest stars on the roster, and before it concludes, this current run might be considered bigger than his first stint in the organization.

That being said, his apology to Saudi Arabia and The Miz, who he previously apologized to when he visited Raw a few years ago, during a press event ahead of this afternoon's Night of Champions pay-per-view is more proof that his act as a martyr is more of a work than the match he's going to have with John Cena at the show. Granted, The Miz probably deserved the apology, as the tweet that Punk posted years ago seemingly knocked him for no apparent reason. 

However, and this is the much bigger point to be made from this entire situation, if CM Punk wanted to stand up against the "blood money" that he criticized The Miz for taking, he wouldn't have been at the press event in the first place. Let's not forget, the only reason that the Saudi government invested hundreds of millions of dollars in oil money into this propaganda strategy to bring western entertainment to the region was because of the criticism of the treatment of women and the actions of the government, including the murder of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. The WWE events, boxing and golf are nothing more than an attempt spin the narrative of the country. So, it's okay for Phil Brooks to take the blood money as long as it goes in his pocket?

Obviously, the citizens of Saudi Arabia aren't to blame for the government's corruption, but keep in mind, the Saudi government, the same government that killed Jamal Khashoggi, paid for the WWE to bring the pay-per-view to the country. If Punk would've refused to go, he would've stood behind his supposed objections to the corruption of the government, but he's there to perform for those same government officials because of the amount of money that they offered the WWE.

What's the status of DDP?

Social media continues to and will always be a dumpster fire. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but that doesn't automatically give every opinion value, and social media gives society a platform to have an opinion, regardless of if it's based on knowledge or nonsense. Of course, professional wrestling social media is as much of a cesspool as anything else online, but on a very rather occasion, there are certain notions that everyone will agree with.

One of the very few redeeming qualities of social media is the ability for classic footage to resurface on its anniversary, allowing fans to celebrate the moments of the past. Ironically, as I just watched the Invasion pay-per-view again a few days ago for an upcoming retro review, there was a clip online of Diamond Dallas Page's WWF debut that happened 24 years ago last week.

Diamond Dallas Page, one of the most popular performers on the WCW roster for the vast majority of its existence of its ownership under the Turner banner, was revealed to be "the stalker" of The Undertaker's then-wife, Sarah in the months after Vince McMahon bought his competition.

Anyone that watched it happen in real time, and probably anyone that watches for the first time in the modern era will agree that it was a horrendously bad angle that ruined Dallas Page before he ever had a chance to truly introduce himself to the WWF audience.

It was one of the first, but definitely not the last indication that despite the victory, Vince McMahon was still fighting the Monday Night War. You might wonder why, especially because he already bought the company a few months before and was the undisputed king of sports entertainment so all of the revenue that was made with the former WCW talent in his organization still went in his pocket. It's easy to see why Vince was still putting the boots to World Championship Wrestling just a few years after the company was ahead in the ratings competition when you consider that McMahon was still fighting the battle 15 years later when Triple H had to pin Sting at Wrestlemania.

Very similar to how becoming a billionaire with the ability to use his massive wealth to cover his tracks eventually led to his downfall with the sexual misconduct scandal that saw him exiled from his own organization in disgrace in recent years, the money was just a number on the page in 2001. Ted Turner and the WCW brand were the only combination that ever put Vince in any serious jeopardy, albeit for a relatively short time, but the point is, that it was the only time that Vince was on the ropes as a promoter. Sure, Uncle Sam did the job to McMahon in federal court, but that's because the government's case in 1994 was as flimsy as The Brooklyn Brawler's chances to win the Royal Rumble. (All due respect to Steve Lombardi) Roughly four years before McMahon was able to purchase WCW for literally pennies on the dollar, the WWF offices infamously took the water coolers out of the hallways of Titan Towers since free H2O cut into the budget.

With a virtual monopoly so that even the guys that took the initial WWF offer had very little leverage despite the fact that they joined the team, Vince simply wasn't going to let any of the guys that drove the ratings up for TNT shine on his show. While DDP is just one example of a numerous amount of performers that got buried before they ever had the chance to prove themselves as commodities for the WWF, Page is such a microcosm of how Vince sacrificed what should've been the biggest angle in sports entertainment history with the super bowl of wrestling just to give himself an ego boost. But hey, the victor writes the history books, and there's an entire library of documentaries with the WWE spin to tell that narrative.

Obviously, to cast Dallas Page as a stalker was a way to chop him down before he started since it was the compete opposite of any type of character that he used in WCW that got him over as one of the most popular stars on Nitro. That notion is underscored when you take into account that the feud of the WWF vs. WCW that was the entire premise of the previously mentioned Invasion pay-per-view was selling the WCW brand as a threat to the Titan corporation. How was presenting DDP as something that he never represented in the Turner organization going to sell the WCW rivalry?

Furthermore, specifically with his baby face turn in 1997 and how he built his run as one of the WCW stalwarts opposite the New World Order, Diamond Dallas Page was associated as a type of "people's champion," particularly with how he organically got over with the audience and made some memorable entrances or exits through the crowd. The story of "people's champion vs. people's champion" almost writes itself, but Vince wasn't going to allow DDP anywhere near the level of The Rock, even in 2001. Don't get me wrong, The Rock was a bigger star at the time, but with the selling point of a super bowl of wrestling, The Rock vs. Page was a very unique match-up that fans wouldn't have been able to see without McMahon's acquisition of Turner.

At 45, Dallas Page wasn't going to be seen as a priority anyway, especially because of the WWF youth movement a few years earlier that propelled the company ahead of WCW. It's ironic that 58-year-old Bill Goldberg will challenge for the heavyweight title in a few weeks, but the business simply didn't embrace nostalgia in 2001. In another case of irony, not only did the company start to market nostalgia a few years later through a series of DVD releases and the original WWE 24/7 channel, but it became a bigger part of the organization's overall draw when the more modern generation wasn't viewed as big of stars of those from a prior era when the business started to decline at various points before the current upswing of the brand.

Unfortunately, Page suffered an injury the following year that led to his departure from the company. The bottom line is, he was ruined by the way he was portrayed when he arrived and wasn't given the opportunity or had long enough of a run to try to recapture any of his previous popularity. His cup of coffee in TNA in 2004 before he retired from full-time competition might suggest that WWF brass made the right call when they didn't invest in him three years earlier, but that's rather coincidental more than anything else. If DDP was given any time of a chance, which he wasn't going to be when he was a WCW and with the amount of talent that flooded the roster, he could've had a solid main event run in the WWF. That's not to say that he would've been a top guy, but given the depth of the roster at the time, he would've had a lot of solid opponents to work with so it probably isn't unreasonable to guess he could've had a six month tenure as a part of the title picture.

As an example of how the business has changed and the evolution of the dynamics based on the mistakes of the past, when a former AEW talent has made their debut in the WWE, management brings out the red carpet for them so to speak to be able to present them in the best manner possible, which makes sense because if they are under contract, they have the potential to draw money for the organization. 

What's the staus of Night of Champions?

"Cash Rules Everything Around Me" -Wu-Tang Clan

All things considered, nothing should truly be shocking within the world of professional wrestling. When Bruiser Brody was killed by Jose Gonzalez in the dressing room before a card in Puerto Rico, the show went on as planned because Carlos Colon wasn't going to risk the box office. When Owen Hart tragically died from an accident while he was being lowered to the ring in 1999, even with blood stains on the canvas, the next match was sent to the ring because Vince McMahon wasn't going to have to refund those pay-per-view orders at a time when PPV money was the biggest revenue stream in the business.

It's not just the pro wrestling business, it's the harsh nature of live entertainment, "the show must go on" even if it probably shouldn't.

That's why somehow, despite the history of general disregard for the health and safety that the sports entertainment industry had for its performers, it's still surprising that the Night of Champions pay-per-view, one of the shows a part of the extremely lucrative deal with the Saudi Arabian government, is still being promoted on WWE Raw to take place this Saturday.

The pay-per-view, which is being held in conjunction with a Smackdown broadcast the day prior, was thought to be in doubt after the military strikes that took place in that region of the world over the weekend. Iran, a country with a long history of tension with the United States and other western nations, traded air strikes with Israel because of Iran's continued development of nuclear weapons, a very delicate scenario that past administrations have tried to deal with using an approach that wouldn't involve a military conflict.

In the modern era, everyone has a political opinion, regardless of if that are qualified or not, but I have to say that regardless of what side of the political argument anyone aligns with, military action isn't something that should be taken lightly. The brave men and women that serve the country risk their lives to follow the orders, regardless of the administration, with the goal to protect the United States. The troops aren't there to let their own political beliefs dictate their jobs, they simply do what they're asked to do because they are serving the nation. Of course, by extension, those troops help others in different countries around the world with noble intentions.

The reason I mention that is that the entire situation is very difficult, and I'm not sure if any option was entirely positive or negative. On one hand, getting America involved in a foreign war creates its own set of problems, but on the other hand, if Iran was allowed to fully develop a nuclear weapon, it could put the United States at risk in the future. Perhaps, a military strike was the only realistic choice, but it shouldn't be taken lightly because as mentioned, the orange villain makes the decisions from the comfort of the Oval Office, he's not taking the same personal risk as active troops.

So, when the United States destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities with "bunker busting" bombs that are used to hit underground buildings with a technology that only America has, it sparked a conflict that saw Iran answer with an attack  on a US base in Qatar. Thankfully, there were no casualties reported at the base.

When the potential for nuclear war is at stake when these decisions are made, a pro wrestling pay-per-view seems rather insignificant, doesn't it?

As of this writing, Israel and Iran are said to be close to a cease fire agreement, but tension continues as there are questions about if or how long a peace agreement would last between the two countries. This was after Iranian state television reported that  that "every US civilian and military personnel in the region is now a legitimate target" just two days prior.

Again, a pro wrestling show seems rather moot in the grand scheme of things.

In the aftermath of the military strikes, Saudi Arabia and a few of the surrounding countries in the region have restricted airspace that prevent commercial flights from traveling there because of the potential risks of missiles that could be launched in the area. The Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez reported that some of the production crew that landed in Saudi a few days before the roster were scheduled to arrive are temporarily stuck there until the restrictions are lifted.

With how rapid and unpredictable this entire scenario has been, I think it's very easy to see why the event should be postponed. Yes, I understand that the Saudi shows are among the most profitable on the WWE calendar, but when you take into account that there are several more Saudi events left on the current contract and that the TKO corporation measures its profit in billions of dollars, is one payday even if it's $40 million worth even the slightest risk to the lives of anyone that works for the company?

There's going to be another $40 million and even more for TKO to make somewhere else this year, even if it's just a different spot on the calendar in Saudi Arabia so I don't think there's truly any reason that Night of Champions should still take place this weekend. However, the bottom line is, cash is king and the almighty dollar, as it usually always does, will dictate the decisions. Remember when CM Punk criticized The Miz on Twitter for taking the Saudi money? Phil Brooks didn't decline the cash to work the main event of the Saudi pay-per-view.

Truthfully, given that the Saudi government restricted the airspace and thus recognized the potential threat, it's somewhat surprising that they haven't postponed the WWE event themselves, not because they care about the talent, but rather that they are still willing to risk the PR disaster if, God forbid, the worst case scenario happens and there's an attack on the American brand while they are in the region. The Saudi government has  invest billions of dollars into this propaganda strategy to bring western entertainment, including boxing and golf, to the country to attempt to make it seem more modern. Granted, the cash is no object because it's oil money, but Canelo Alvarez, Terrance Crawford, and the top names from the PGA tour might not be willing to revisit the country if there's an incident with the WWE crew.

Hopefully, nothing happens while the talent are there and all of this speculation is moot, but it's still truly concerning that the company is sending its talent and production team into what could still be an active war zone by this weekend just for the cash. It would also be interesting to see if the United States government has any protocol in place for this type of venture? It would be very difficult to imagine that the government wouldn't consider it risky for an American entertainment brand to be in the middle east right now, specifically because the details of the peace agreement are still being worked out with nothing official yet. This might be a situation where the United States won't prevent the corporation from taking its business to Saudi Arabia, but that they can't guarantee their safety either. I'd guess that WWE management is monitoring the situation, and maybe they have a back up plan in place, but the company probably won't cancel the Saudi event unless it's the only option.

Goldberg vs. Gunther

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

As much as some of the modern pundits want to write off or dismiss the fundamental philosophy of professional wrestling, regardless of if it was Vince McMahon's tireless attempts to only be known as sports entertainment, or Dave Meltzer's claims that 87 stars translate into a better show even if it doesn't draw better money, the building blocks are still the same.

Those building blocks encompass everything from psychology to the presentation to the marketing of the product. Along with that, many of the same tactics within the competition of the industry are still there even decades later.

When Jim Crockett Promotions attempted to put Starrcade on pay-per-view throughout the pro wrestling boom of the 80s, Vince McMahon eventually told cable providers that if they wanted the ability to sell his signature Wrestlemania show, they couldn't offer Crockett events to their customers. When the majority of providers dropped the NWA from their line-ups, Crockett put the first Clash of The Champions, headlined by Ric Flair vs. Sting for the world title, on free television to go head-to-head with Wrestlemania IV on pay-per-view.

Of course, after Ted Turner bought Crockett Promotions, both organizations opted against those pay-per-view tactics, especially after those same cable providers discouraged the attempts to disrupt their revenue streams. Of course, the cable companies were getting a piece of each pie so it was quite literally in their interest to see some level of PPV peace so that more money overall could be generated.

As much as the media landscape has changed, with pay-per-view shifting mostly to streaming platforms, counter programming resurfaced as a part of the industry nearly four decades later.

With All Elite Wrestling positioning its biggest event of the year at All In Texas set for a stadium in Arlington on July 12, the TKO corporation isn't going to let the show be unopposed, especially when the publicly-traded company looks to maximize every revenue stream possible with the surge in momentum the brand had during the past few years. Ownership might've changed, but similar to Vince McMahon, the TKO executives know that limiting the potential market share for All Elite puts them in a position to dominate the industry even more than they are right now.

With the way that the combination of the merger with the UFC and the Netflix deal has truly globalized the WWE brand, the TKO suites are going to maximize every opportunity to garner every dollar possible. It sounds harsh, but corporations aren't worth billions because they leave money on the table, especially when they have to answer to shareholders during the conference calls.

We found out on Raw this past week what card WWE brass is going to play against AEW's pay-per-view in a stadium, Bill Goldberg vs. Gunther for the world heavyweight title in what many anticipate will be Goldberg's retirement match in his hometown of Atlanta for free on an episode of Saturday Night's Main Event on NBC.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Truth be told, I'm not sure the counter programming aspect is going to make a major difference in the buyrate of All In one way or the other. The diehard All Elite demographic of around 100,000 fans that usually order their PPVs aren't the audience that are going to be swayed or drawn to Bill Goldberg's retirement match. Quite simply, the viewer that is willing to pay to see Adam Page vs. Jon Moxley for the AEW world title would have minimal interest in watching an aging Goldberg against Gunther.

That's why the bigger question is probably, is there a demand for another Goldberg bout, and should it be something that takes place even if there is a demand for it?

I have to be honest, while the former WCW champion's return in 2016 and subsequent title reign was great stuff because it was so unexpected and most fans wanted to see him get a chance to conclude his career in a proper fashion, more or less everything else since that time has yielded mixed results at best. The disastrous match with The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia in 2018 more or less tarnished the shine from another Goldberg run. Sure, he had a pair of decent matches against Bobby Lashley in 2021, but his bouts against The Fiend and Braun Strowman the year before were subpar. His matches against Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns were so brief that they almost sent the message that there wasn't any more steam left for the Goldberg experiment.

All things considered, Bill Goldberg should've hung up his boots after he dropped the title back to Brock Lesnar in 2017. Don't get me wrong, I don't blame him for taking seven figures to work a match against The Undertaker in Saudi Arabia, most of the fans can conveniently forget that it happened, similar to the collective decision for everyone to move on after Shawn Micheals returned for his own train wreck in Saudi, but aside from that, there wasn't really anything left for him to offer. That's not meant as a knock, Goldberg is a legitimate legend and only needed a few prime years in the industry to accomplish it, but he was working with a limited skill set to begin with so after the 2016 comeback, there just wasn't realistically any new ground to cover in any way, shape, or form.

The fans that wanted to see the WCW legend get his final run and credit for his accomplishments had the chance to see it. Anything after The Undertaker match in 2018 was a retread just for the sake of a retread. On the surface, someone of his caliber should get a retirement match, but as mentioned, he essentially already had that final run when he could've retired after a main event feud with Lesnar.

I understand that it's a nice occasion for him to officially end his career in Atlanta, but is it the smart choice in 2025? At 58, Goldberg seemed to walk with a slight limp on his way to the ring to confront Gunther. It wouldn't be shocking if the aging legend was injured training for the retirement bout, as that's what happened to Ric Flair when he infamously had his last match a few years ago. Granted, Gunther is a true pro and will take care of Goldberg in the ring, but again all things considered, is a bout against one of the most physical performers on the roster a good choice for another Goldberg contest?

Aside from a potential injury, given the circumstances, this might be a situation where a letdown might be unavoidable. The reason being, Goldberg isn't going to beat Gunther for the championship, and at his age, he isn't going to be able to work a match longer than just a few minutes so how is a short bout that he loses going to be a proper retirement segment for him?

The only possible solution that I can see as a realistic possibility is that there's some type of fluke scenario where Gunther beats Goldberg, but then the former WCW champion lands a spear after the match to allow him for a celebration to conclude the show. Either way, as much as Bill Goldberg the real-life guy wants a retirement match in his hometown, I can't see it as a wise decision to put Goldberg the wrestler in the ring at his age, especially after he looked to be potentially injured on Raw this week.  

The career of Toddy Tondera

"In earnest, I always saw myself as a microphone type, not an in-ring competitor. I strive to be the kinetic wallpaper to a pro wrestling match."

Toddy Tondera, a play-by-play announcer based in Pittsburgh, has eyed being that "kinetic wallpaper" of professional wrestling for the past few decades, as he had a microphone glued to his hand as far back as his elementary school years.

Through the crackling sound of cassette tapes, the youngster would interview "Yokozuna," or his grandfather, who was happy to play the part of the massive sumo wrestler for the broadcast, as Toddy recorded wrestling audio as early as 1994. 

"A lot of the matches I created were set in the early 90s WWF era. I would do commentary, ring announcing, and sometimes sing or make up the theme songs to sing," Tondera explained.

The theatrics, the spectacle, and the drama of sports entertainment drew him in, becoming a tent pole of his youth. Before pay-per-views were available for a subscription price of under $10, a family friend of the Tondera family would drop the latest offering in their mailbox each month. As soon as Toddy returned home from school that afternoon, he'd grab the VHS tape, often with several different scribes of what was actually on the tape at the time, depending on what event occurred that month, and ran to a VCR to make sure he could watch the show before that night's Monday Night Raw episode.

Pro wrestling is inherently based on the ability to create the previously mentioned spectacle and drama, and the blank "canvas" that the sport offered was ultimately one of the ways that Toddy got involved with the genre as he spread his media wings as he grew older.

"I did podcasting from roughly 2016-2023. It was all DIY based. I did three different podcasts and the one that I found most success with THRIFTY. Each episode, I would take guests on a thrifting mission to a goodwill outlet and then afterwards record an episode based on our findings. As the years would pass it became a more factual game show. In 2019, THRIFTY won best podcast in Pittsburgh through the City Paper," Toddy said.

With notoriety for his skills behind the mic, it was an ironic twist that when the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered so much of the world, it actually opened a door for him to the squared circle.

"I found this path by following the adjacent comedy and wrestling scenes in New York, then correlated into the backyard Poly Cult Shows during the pandemic. Then after matriculated into 880 Wrestling in Pittsburgh as my home base." he commented.

The 880, a nod to the region's area code, project was originally founded in New Kensington, PA not long after the restrictions of the pandemic were lifted. Started by independent stalwarts, Ganon Jones Jr. and MV Young, both grapplers wanted to bring the sport to their hometown. The foundation of the venture was a training school, bringing with it an open door policy for anyone that wanted to test themselves in their journey as aspiring pro wrestlers. Along with the lessons of the mat, 880 Wrestling formed a tag team with the Sorgatron Media group, a longtime production company that has filmed and produced wrestling content in the Pittsburgh area and beyond for more than a decade. Names like Gianni Micheal Emricko, Reese Hayes, and others have emerged as bright stars of the academy. Now anchored on Pittsburgh's south side, Thursday Night Fights streams live cards every week and there are also featured cards on a Friday each month.

Toddy Tondera has been the signature voice of 880 Wrestling since its inception, providing a soundtrack of energy and excitement  to compliment the in-ring action.

"I got involved at 880 Wrestling originally because I was close with the T2T Brooklyn folks. When it was said Pittsburgh was going to be getting a school much like the Brooklyn school, it was clear that 880 Wrestling would be the next endeavor and first wrestling promotion I called home. Most all scenes I’ve been a part of were of the DIY mentally," Toddy remarked.

"Toddy sets the tone for 880 Wrestling and is tremendous at inviting the chat room into the party in the live chat room," added Mike Sorg, the premier video producer in the Pittsburgh area.

Aside from its unique approach and diverse roster of talent, 880 Wrestling has been a platform to spotlight many LGBTQ+ performers, and it was a welcoming space for Toddy as someone that explored and embraced his identity over the years.

"From a very young age, I could feel myself not really identifying with any heteronormative standard. Even today, I hear about 'guys nights' and 'girls out' and what goes on during them and cannot relate to either. I came out on television on The Chris Gethard Show in front of an audience of friends, so that my birth family would see it and realize that my chosen family was a supportive group and they are far more of us than what a close-minded person would think. The TCGS Community was something I was a part of for many years and a lot of the reason why I am what I am today. I wouldn’t have known the greater bigger world outside of Pittsburgh without that community and what doors that opened for me," Toddy explained.

While media has always been a form of personal expression for him in some type of fashion, Tondera made several professional strides as well, cementing himself as a fixture of the steel city wrestling city, mostly known for pure energy and enthusiasm that doesn't wain over the course of a live broadcast. If a line-up has a dozen bouts or mote, Toddy brings the same level of excitement to the main event that was head at the opening bell.

In an often crowded media landscape, Toddy Tondera stands out as a unique talent with a specialized set of skills.

“Toddy dedicates their time and energy every week to give the fans of 880, online and in-person, a voice in the presentation of TNF. Constantly trying to find new people to bring in or even ideas to be workshop also while being a unique, but constant presence for 880's commentary team,” added Zeke Mercer, another talented grappler of the 880 league.

Walking to the beat of his own drum, when he's not in front of a microphone every Thursday, Toddy hunts for vintage clothing in thrift shops, collects random or obscure VHS tapes as a nod back to those early pay-per-view days, and looks to add to his aquarium of diverse fish.

Still, through all of his interests and accomplishments outside of the announce booth, Toddy looks to use the trademark DIY approach to go as far as possible within the realm of the squared circle.

"My goal is to thrive in those DIY communities and fit in them wherever I’m needed. There are wrestlers that I have yet to call a match for and hope to one day get those opportunities. It’s one thing to be inside of wrestling and working in wrestling, it’s a whole other thing to be good inside of wrestling and good working in wrestling. My goal is to be good at what I do, daily. An ultimate goal is to find steady paid work in what I do, whether it be from one promotion or many," Tondera concluded.

What's next for Jey Uso?

When Jey Uso won the Royal Rumble at the start of the year, I wrote that it was a surprising choice, but not a bad decision. Ironically, the same can be said about the decision for him to drop the title back to Gunther this past week on Raw, as it was surprising, but not necessarily the wrong decision.

Still, does this stall the momentum that Jey had as one of the most over performers on the entire roster?

When discussing Uso's Rumble victory earlier this year, I mentioned that given the nature of his journey to the title, a path that took him from just a tag team wrestler to a star that the audience spontaneously and organically rallied behind, the downside of a possible title win was that the money might be in the chase, not the reign as champion.

When you take into account that Jey had the belt for less than two months, it's tough to argue with that notion.

Don't get me wrong, Jey was and still is one of the most popular performers on the WWE roster, a position that not many would've guessed he would be if the prospects of his success were asked just a few years ago. That being said, the most over portion of his total act is probably still the entrance. He's not terrible in the ring, but he's not Lou Thez either. He's more of a storytelling performer and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that, but the problem is that the vast majority of that story was based on his chase to become the champion, not his reign as champion. In the role of the titleholder, there's only so many ways to try to make someone look like the underdog, as there's a natural "champion's advantage" based on the traditional rules of the ring. For example, the belt can't change hands on a count out or a disqualification. It might sound trivial, but who the champion is definitely affects the dynamics and the psychology of a match-up. Furthermore, outside of saying "yeet" a lot, Uso hasn't exactly showed that he has the mic skills to carry main event storylines with promos on a weekly basis. In fact, with the exception of one or two occasions, the majority of Jey's promos have been generic and lacked the substance usually needed to sell a major match.

Jey Uso never really seemed to find his groove in the ring in that role, and to be completely fair, the office might not have given him enough time to have the opportunity to discover himself in that spot. However, and this might be the biggest point to be made from this entire scenario, it's going to be much more difficult for management to sell Jey Uso as a world champion again because the abbreviated reign sends the message that he wasn't truly a main event star, but rather just stopped by for a cup of coffee to have a Wrestlemania moment.

There's undoubtedly a difference between a memorable WM moment and a legitimate title reign as a money-drawing star.

Unfortunately, Jey didn't get the chance to show if he had the versatility to become a main event talent  even though he definitely had a very memorable moment at Wrestlemania 42 in Las Vegas.

Since Jey's win was unexpected, mostly because many assumed that John Cena was going to win before he eventually turned heel at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, there was a portion of the audience that didn't truly buy Uso as a potential top guy. It's a harsh reality, but a brief title reign didn't do anything to dissuade that notion.

All things considered, it seems like a rather odd decision for Jey to drop the belt on a random episode of Raw, particularly when there's another pay-per-view in two weeks, but maybe this was done to help bring more live viewers to the Raw broadcast on Netflix? Still, it's puzzling since it creates questions as to what Uso does next, especially because he already had a series of matches with Gunther on various shows so at least for the time being, there might nor be much steam left for another Uso/Gunter bout.

I could be completely wrong, but for the office to pivot with title change so quickly after Wrestlemania, a move that halted the momentum that Jey had, I'd guess that it wasn't a switch that was in their original plans when it was decided to give him the belt. The surge in support for Ron Killings after he was briefly released from the organization before an overwhelming amount of fan support led to his return a week later also wasn't expected among the WWE landscape.

With that being said, I have to say that I think the main reason that Gunther regained the belt was to allow for there to be a Ron Killings/Gunther feud on Raw. I wrote in a previous article that with Cena's limited dates and how his retirement tour was probably already completed mapped out that there might not be room for another Cena/Killings bout so I'm guessing that putting R-Truth in a feud with Gunther would still be a way for management to maximize his current fan support without disrupting the plans for Cena to ultimately drop the title back to Cody Rhodes before the end of the year. As I also wrote in the recent article, Killings might have another two years as an in-ring performer, but the plan with Rhodes will be as the top guy for at least another five years so it makes sense that it would take priority.

That might be why Killings could be paired with Gunther because halting the momentum of Jey Uso, even if it's the wrong decision, is a much smaller opportunity cost than diluting the plans for Cody since he's the more well-rounder performer.

In some ways, the story writes itself, and much of the same dynamic that was used in the angle with Uso could be applied to a feud with Killings. Gunther is the dominate  no nonsense champion, and he can spotlight Killings' past as a comedy character to create doubt that the former R-Truth could actually win the championship. Granted, there would need to be a decision made about if Gunther should lose the belt again in a relatively short span, but since it's completely hypothetical at this point, let's cross that bridge if or when we get there.

Still, where does this leave Jey Uso on Raw?

As I said, whatever the next step is, it must be something of importance if the office wants to keep him in the upper tier of the talent on Raw. By nature, with two world championships on the shows, there are going to be more champions and thus it's much easier for those titleholders to become forgettable. As talent as he was, injuries derailed Dolph Ziggler's title runs. He's known as a really solid worker, but his time as champion isn't exactly memorable. Does anyone recall any details of Jake Swagger or Alberto Del Rio as world champion? Kofi is a great star, but the only thing that fans remember about his time as champion was that he got squashed by Brock Lesnar in mere seconds when he dropped the title on Smackdown. Aside from the fact that this abrupt decision takes Jey Uso out of the main event scene, it could be an indication that management will be more flexible to change plans in the future. 

Ron Killings returns

Ron Killings is back in the WWE and it took less than a week, prompting speculation among pundits and fans, did the revolt of the audience truly make a difference in this scenario?

At the start of June, R-Truth posted on social media that he was going to be released from his WWE deal, ending his 17-year tenure with the organization. Besides the fact that Killings, who worked for the company for about a year after his original debut on television in 2000 before he was re-signed eight years later, is one of the most versatile workers on the roster, he's considered one of the most beloved figures in the locker room. The fans revolted on social media and there was an outpouring of support for him from his peers as well.

As I wrote in an article about his release last week, as disgraceful as Vince McMahon might be as a person, he would know enough not to release a performer like Ron Killings. I also mentioned that if the TKO corporation tries to view the roster as interchangeable parts then it would eventually be detrimental to the brand.

Quite simply, Ron Killings should have a job for as long as he'd like to continue to work with WWE.

At 53, Killings is undoubtedly at the latter stages of his in-ring career, but he has the experience and skills to be a solid coach or agent. At the very least, since he has the reputation of being a genuinely nice guy, he could do very well in a PR role after he retires from the ring. I'm not being sarcastic at all, there's a reason that Hillbilly Jim was kept on the payroll for so many years.

Of course, after Killings returned to the company during the main event of the Money in The Bank pay-per-view, there was immediately speculation that perhaps the entire story was a work to set up for the moment where R-Truth cost John Cena the match, which saw him get pinned by Cody Rhodes. At the post-PPV press conference, Triple H had a casual response, implying that it was a part of the plan.

It was absolutely no surprise that the head of creative was going to suggest that he was pulling the strings all along and obviously, he's going to tell the fans what the script is, not the other way around. Usually, that should be the strategy, as the fans vote with their dollars, but shouldn't necessarily be able to dictate everything because that sets up for an unrealistic benchmark that wouldn't be able to be followed. As amazing as ECW was and it undoubtedly changed the business, it caved to the demands of the audience too often to the point that the company burned itself out. 

In this case, it appears that the office realized that maybe the money they'd save on cutting Killings' contract wasn't worth the combination of the backlash from the audience and the damage it could potentially do to the locker room morale. It's not uncommon in WWE history that the office would snub their nose at the fans, seemingly out of pure spite, including Triple H himself, but the outpouring of support from the roster was a different dynamic.

Along with not wanting to give the impression that the office relinquished any of its power, bending to the demands of the audience would also potentially set a negative precedent for releases in the future as well. It's a harsh reality of the industry, but cuts are a part of the business, and in the social media age, there's already a tendency to lean into the notion that a performer is suddenly a top-notch talent just because they got released from the company. No Way Jose never had as many fans until he got his walking papers. 

So, it makes sense that management doesn't want to tip their hand and give the impression that with enough of a ruckus that the audience can disrupt the overall plan. That being said, this is more or less the first major faux pas that Paul Levesque had in terms of management decisions since he took over the head position of WWE after Vince resigned in disgrace last year. Handling blunders is a part of the job so it's not as though this mishap will derail the solid business the company has done the past few years. Accurate or not, Levesque has been praised for his leadership of the WWE brand after all the negative publicity from the previously mentioned lawsuit against McMahon. It's ironic that the fans that tout Levesque's success as the head of the WWE either aren't aware or forgot about Triple H's reign of doom in the early-2000s when he got more TV time than anyone else because he was Vince's son-in-law and used his political power to make sure he maintained the top spot.

Still, the faster that they can sweep this fumble under the rug, and hopefully use it to create some compelling television, the better it will be for everyone involved, including Ron Killings. Regardless of Triple H's efforts to attempt to imply that it was a work, both The Wrestling Observer and Fightful reported that Killings was legitimately finished with the company last week. I have to say that I don't think this is any type of work, mostly because there's no way that the office could've predicted the type of reaction that Killings' release garnered from the audience or the roster. As much record-setting profit as the company is making right now, they aren't quite that clever.

The reason that it matters if this was a work or not, and since it probably wasn't, it translates to a situation where management doesn't know exactly what to do with Killings next. Aside from the fact that he will continue to get a solid paycheck from the WWE, from a storyline perspective, Killings wasn't in the plans for the office beyond when he was pinned by Jeff Cobb on Smackdown a few weeks ago. John Cena's current storyline is literally based on a limited number of dates, and it's a safe bet that his retirement tour was carefully mapped out prior to this so is there a spot for another bout with R-Truth before Cena retires?

If not, it's going to be important for the office to find something of importance for Killings to do to be able to capitalize on the current momentum that he has from the surge of fan support. On Raw, we saw Killings not only cut a serious promo, but also cut his hair, which could be an indication that he wants to use this opportunity to start a fresh chapter, which makes sense if he wants to cover some new ground before he retires. Realistically, Killings probably has another two years in the ring so it makes sense for him to try to maximize his last major run as an in-ring performer.

There's an argument to be made that Killings could have a short run as champion, especially if it would involve John Cena, but that would unintentionally takeaway from Cody's quest to regain the belt before Cena leaves the company so it's doubtful that the office would deviate from that path. All things considered, they shouldn't stray from that plan, either. Don't get me wrong, it would be a sincerely nice moment that the fans would rally behind if Killings won the belt as somewhat of a coronation of his career, but as mentioned, he has at most, two years as an in-ring talent left, whereas Cody's role as the top star in the company should be planned for at least the next five years.

The biggest takeaway from this story isn't necessarily that the audience's reaction brought someone back to the company, Matt Hardy got rehired based on chants from the crowd, but rather the span of time that the office reacted to it. Traditionally, management, specifically under Vince, would force their plans onto television regardless of how panned it was from the fans. It took months for Matt Hardy to be re-hired, and it took months of the audience hijacking the shows for Daniel Bryan to get a chance to win the championship at Wrestlemania. Granted, the organization can't let the audience dictate everything, but the flexibility to change course to fix a mistake could be an indication of a new philosophy for the organization.

MITB review

Within the span of less than 10 hours, the TKO corporation had three events under their banner, including the AAA When Worlds Collide event, the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, both held in Los Angeles, and the UFC 316 pay-per-view in Newark, New Jersey. It goes without saying that TKO is doing solid business in 2025, as they ran events literally coast-to-coast on Saturday.

Depending on your perspective, the Money in The Bank event was either exactly as you expected or perhaps slightly underwhelming with the surprise cameo at the conclusion of the show as the exception. Given the moments created by the Money in the Bank stipulation, the match itself has become a draw. The downside of that is that within the context of a three-hour broadcast, the nature of the bouts are car crash spectacles that can lead to a rather flat presentation for the rest of the card.

The MITB matches were used to open and nearly close the show, which makes sense, but in terms of the structure, the contests were somewhat clunky at times, an aspect that was probably unavoidable. For example, the women's ladder match that opened the show was action packed and a very entertaining segment with the variety of interactions between the different competitors, but there wasn't exactly an overall build in terms of the drama toward the finish. This match, very similar to the men's match in the main event, had the ladder spots and the risky bumps, and somewhat of an inconsistent pace because there were some many wrestlers involved.

Naomi won the match to secure a future title shot, a decision that I have to think will eventually be incorporated into the still unresolved feud with Jade Cargill, and the involvement of Bianca Belair. To be completely honest, since she got steamrolled by Jade in their previous match, and there still hasn't been a decisive winner of the rivalry, I'm not sure if Naomi was the best choice for the brief case, at least at this point. That's why I'd speculate that she wouldn't cash in the title shot until somewhere down the road when it would involve Jade, which would be fine, but she would have to be kept strong on television. Along with keeping Naomi relevant, the scenario that would include a cash-in on Jade would necessitate that Cargill became a solid champion. Considering that she still has some glaring weakness for her in-ring work, it's not a sure thing that the potentially cash-in angle would truly materialize into a moment that would be considered a major payoff. That's not to say that it can't work since there's no reason to rush any of it, but rather to point out that there's still work to be done on both sides of the equation if that's the intended goal.

Since there are still questions about Jade, which could affect the payoff of a potential Naomi cash-in, I would've guessed that either Stephanie Vaquer or Giulia would've won the title shot. That's not a jab against Naomi either, but besides the storyline uncertainties, she already had a run with the championship so the argument could be made that she didn't need a cash-in moment. On the flip side, that same moment could be more impactful or effective for either Vaquer or Giulia if it was used to set up a title win on the main roster for them.

Dominik Mysterio beat Octagon Jr. to retain the Intercontinental title in a fun five-minute sprint. As we know, this was set up earlier in the day during the AAA event, and it was a good way get some exposure for the lucha project without dedicating too much time to a venture that is still relatively unknown to most of the WWE audience. The biggest takeaway from this contest is that Dominik is continuing to evolve well in the role as a heel champion and you can see that the experience that he had in the past few years has definitely helped him as a performer.

Becky Lynch defeated Lyra Valkyria to win the Women's IC title, and this was a really solid match. I don't know if now was the time for Valkyria to drop the championship, but I'm assuming it was a way to set up her winning the belt back at the conclusion of the feud. The much bigger and more important point is that she looked like a legitimate star again in a match against Becky Lynch, which speaks volumes to Lynch's ability as a performer to elevate the talent that she works with in the ring. Again, the title is almost moot in the grand scheme of things because we've seen titleholders fizzle out and even get released in the past after their push plateaued so the office went in a different direction. How many times has a wrestler got a brief push, had a brief title run, drop the belt, and eventually end up with a pink slip? Thankfully, Valkyria seems to be on the other end of the spectrum, as she's organically and steadily moving up the ladder in the process to become a legitimate star, which indirectly proves how much of an asset Lynch is in terms of her ability to help make new stars.

The Men's Money in The Bank match was a wild stunt show, and at almost 35 minutes went a little too long with a few stagnant points throughout the segment, but it was still some really entertaining stuff. Credit to Chad Gable for working twice in one night with a great match against Vikingo at the AAA event and then taking some brutal bumps in this match, including a back suplex off the ladder where he almost clipped his head on another ladder that was already on the canvas. Aside from going at least five minutes too long, this segment was probably overbooked as well, specifically when Jacob Fatu turned baby face to put Solo Sikoa through a ladder on the outside. I understand that it makes sense because of how over Fatu got over with the crowd, but it still seems a little rushed. That being said, I'm a little puzzled as to why the office decided to give Seth Rollins the brief case again, mostly because it's literally a retread from more than a decade ago. I know the counterpoint to that might be that since over ten years have passed, Seth could get a fresh run with the briefcase, but it's less about using the gimmick and more about the fact that Rollins simply doesn't need the cash-in to justify or elevate him to a position of prominence on the Raw brand. Granted, his booking and character presentation over the years hasn't always been helpful, but as far as an in-ring performer, Rollins is already an established star. Furthermore, the faction around him and his alignment with Paul Heyman is more than enough steam to put him in the conversation as a title challenger. I could be wrong, but I really think that Penta, Gable, or LA Knight would've been a better choice, simply because the MITB contract could've propelled them to the main event status where Rollins already is anyway.

The main event of Jey Uso and Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena and Logan Paul was basically a paint-by-the-numbers WWE tag team main event, and there's nothing wrong with that. This was basic, but very effective, and that's what counts by the time the show goes off the air. The spots were very choreographed, which took any from any type of spontaneous presentation, but given Logan Paul's involvement and lack of experience, it still made sense to work that type of match. The moonsault to the outside through the announce table was impressive. I plan to write a specific column about the return of Ron Killings, as he cost John Cena the match, but I will say this much about it in this review, it's very doubtful that WWE management had the foresight to work his release with the expectation that it would generate the type of reaction it did with the plan being to bring him back at this pay-per-view. Cody pinned Cena to win the match, which is a key piece of the puzzle for that storyline because now the former champion just beat Cena so it starts to set up for the eventual rematch.

UFC 316

Earlier this week during the media tour for tonight's UFC 316 pay-per-view that will be hosted in Newark, New Jersey, Amanda Nunes, who will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in just a few weeks, announced her return to the sport, proclaiming her intentions to recapture the Women's Bantamweight championship, a belt that she vacated when she retired from the Octagon two years ago. "The Lioness" return to the cage dwarfs even the solid line-up that will take place at the Prudential Center on the ESPN+ streaming service.

The reason for this is rather simple, as the UFC, an organization that is a part of the TKO corporation after last year's merger with the WWE, needs the star power ahead of its negotiations for its next media rights deal. Different from the pro wrestling side of the publicly-traded company, the UFC didn't go to the bulk-pricing model that many streaming platforms use in the modern era. Instead, the TV cards that would air for free in the past were now included in the subscription to the streaming service. However, the pay-per-views actually increased in price, ballooning to a staggering $79.99 for each event, which doesn't included the subscription fee to the service itself. Yes, fans have to pay for the subscription just for the ability to be able to pay again to order the PPVs. It's a bold strategy, but it becomes a key aspect of the potential of their next move if the organization doesn't re-sign with ESPN.

As cliche as it is, as far as pay-per-view for the WWE, and thus virtually half of the TKO brand, the horse is out of the barn. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube so to speak in terms of the perceived value of the pay-per-views. For more than a decade, pro wrestling fans have been able to watch PPVs for either $9.99, $4.99, or in some cases even free between the original launch of the WWE Network and the Peacock platform. Sure, some fans would pay it, but it would be a very difficult sell to try to get wrestling fans to go back to paying $40 or $50 a month for pay-per-view.

That's one of the unintended consequences of the bulk-pricing model, as it looks to secure more subscribers at a lower price to generate more revenue overall than the amount of customers that were willing to pay the traditional fee. With the amount of streaming options that have fizzled out over the past several years, it's clear that the bulk model can be hit or miss depending on the content on the platform.

However, and this is key for the UFC, they never unintentionally lowered the value of their PPV offerings so it would be much easier for the group to possibly sign with a different network and make the transition back to traditional pay-per-view because the only difference would be where the events are broadcast, not the price point that could impact the decision  to order the show. Sure, outside factors like the economy could make a difference, but that could apply to any entertainment spending for any target audience. The point being, selling an $80 MMA card on ESPN+ or selling an MMA card on traditional pay-per-view if the UFC moves to a different network at the end of the year is moot in the grand scheme of things.

However, and this is where Nunes is such an important figure among the current landscape of the organization, with Jon Jones claiming on social media just a few days ago that he was willing to "step aside as heavyweight champion, a tactic purely to avoid a unification fight with interim champion, Tom Aspinall, the MMA league has very little in the way of major star power to demand major money at the negotiating table. Would a network want to pay a few billion dollars when one of the most promoted and most controversial fighters in the organization's history claims that he won't defend the heavyweight title? Conor McGregor was promoted ahead of nearly everyone else in the company for years, and after he failed to enter the testing pool to be eligible to fight Micheal Chandler earlier this year, there's zero assurance that he will fight again.

Don't get me wrong, the Ultimate Fighting Championship still has a tremendously talented roster, tonight's card is proof of that, but the harsh reality is that a combination of an oversaturation of fight cards and putting almost all of the programming behind a paywall in some form or fashion, the promotion just doesn't have the star power that it did several years ago.

Amanda Nunes has the skills and the accomplishments to be the top star of the organization, at least for the foreseeable future until the next crop of fights have a chance to make a name for themselves. During the announcement of her return, "The Lioness" explained that this was a full-fledged comeback, not a one-off return in the Octagon. It's a much easier sell to the network when a Hall of Famer and former double champion will be back on the roster to sell PPVs.

Speaking of which, the UFC 316 card will showcase the women's bantamweight division when Julianna Pena, who beat Nunes for the championship in December 2021 before "The Lioness" avenged the loss the following July to reclaim the belt, will defend against Kayla Harrison. After Nunes recaptured the title, she beat Irene Aldana before she vacated the belt. Pena defeated Raquel Pennington via split decision last October. While Harrison is the 6 to 1 favorite with a pro record of 18-1, it goes without saying that a potential trilogy fight between Nunes and Pena could be a draw for the company. If I had to guess, Harrison wins the bout, but there's intrigue because Pena was a major underdog when she shocked the world to dethrone Nunes in their original bout.

The main event will also be a rematch when Sean O'Malley gets a chance to reclaim the Bantamweight belt when he challenges Merab Dvalishvili, who beat him via unanimous decision last October. More than just the winners for tonight and how it could shape the respective divisions going forward, the bigger story might be how the return of Nunes to the organization could impact the overall direction of the company ahead of their next television deal. Along with that, it will be interesting to see how the details of that particular contract affects the distribution and thus the perception of the promotion in the future as well. If some of the fight night cards that have been behind the paywall of ESPN+ for the past several years are back on traditional television instead, the added exposure could allow more opportunities for more fighters to make themselves stars to the general public that might not be enough of a diehard MMA fan to pay a monthly subscription fee to follow the sport. In truth, that main stream exposure through cable television was what made it possible for there to be such a surge in popularity nearly two decades ago so it would probably be a wise decision to make the product, including the new generation of fighters, more accessible to more viewers, specifically with a new TV deal.

Mariah May debuts for NXT

The past few years, particularly since the launch of All Elite Wrestling, it proved how much competition, or at least options benefit the entire industry. It's not a ground-breaking concept, as it can be applied across the board regardless of the product being sold to the public. What would Coca Cola be without Pepsi? A sizzling Baconator for the racket-wielding manager isn't quite as enjoyable without the choice of a Big Mac or a Whopper. The competition between brands outside of the sports entertainment bubble isn't nearly as silly or harsh as the attempt to draw money inside the world of pro wrestling, but the fact remains that options within any business generally push each organization to provide the best product possible to get their piece of the pie from the overall market. Within the parameters of the squared circle, there are several different layers that are involved in the overall business model. Of course, any wrestling league, from the publicly-traded TKO corporation to the local independent outfit, are looking to maximize revenue from their audience through ticket sales and merchandise. Naturally, the further you move up the ladder as far as the scope of the company, it opens more avenues to generate more money. The WWE touts record-setting profits primarily because of the massive rights fees that it lands for its television shows. But, it's not simply a matter of putting the show on the air or investing in slick product, the track record and cache that the WWE brand has with the general public is what ultimately put them in a position to capitalize on their media properties to such a degree based on the continuing evolution of the media landscape.

For example, Monday Night Raw was on the air for over thirty years, and despite the peaks and valleys, was able to maintain an audience. More importantly, even if there were dips in the numbers depending on the era, it provided steady and consistent ratings, which makes for a much easier sell to advertisers and sponsors because they have an assurance of the amount of viewers that will be exposed to the commercials for their products.

Obviously, it hasn't always been positive, but for the casual fan, WWE is basically the representative for professional wrestling in the United States. I've written this before, in many ways, the WWE is the Walmart of the sports entertainment industry since its relatively cheap and easily accessible. Granted, you might need a second mortgage to afford tickets to the marquee events under the TKO banner, but as far as following the product, fans can get access to pay-per-views and the extensive video library for $5 a month on the Peacock streaming service.  

Of course, the status quo opens the door for an alternative, and there's not necessarily a right or wrong answer in terms of that notion because there can't be an alternative unless the concept of the status quo of an industry has been established.  Again, where would Coke be without Pepsi?

As mentioned, All Elite Wrestling, positive or negative, has become the alternative for pro wrestling in America. The narrative of the Khan-owned organization has been as fascinating as it has been frustrating over the past six years.

That's why in many respects, the debut on Mariah May, a former AEW Women's champion, makes a very direct statement about the status of the industry.

When AEW launched in 2019, the potential of the project shifted the dynamics of the business, for the first time since WCW folded, there was someone that was willing to offer comparable money to the WWE, and established stars were willing to trust the future of their careers in All Elite Wrestling. WWE brass took notice of it too, as they signed talent to bigger contracts just to keep them off of the free agent market. Reportedly, The Good Brothers, a team that had history with The Young Bucks from their time as a part of The Bullet Club in New Japan, were offered $750,000 deals to re-sign with the WWE at the time to essentially prevent the possibility of them showing up for a Bullet Club reunion on the debut episode of Dynamite that October. As we know, when the actual product of AEW was revealed, management was less concerned with retaining talent, and when the pandemic shut the world down about six months later, most of the talent that were overpaid to stay with WWE were released as a part of budget cuts that could be touted for stockholders on the conference calls.

Despite that, we saw several talents opt to test the waters in AEW, and there's nothing wrong with that, it's a smart business move, but at the same time, as the narrative of the promotion, both from a booking and structure prospective unfolded, there was undoubtedly a shift in the paradigm of the industry.

Despite the non-disclosure agreement that he signed upon his exit from All Elite a few years ago, there's a compelling story to be told about the departure of Cody Rhodes from the organization when books are eventually written about that era. The backstage brawls, the underwhelming angles, and illogical booking took away a lot of the shine once the novelty of a new promotion wore off.

Furthermore, and this is possibility the biggest point to be made, there were a number of careers that were mismanaged or underutilized under the direction of Tony Khan. CM Punk, regardless of how egotistical that he was at the time, was ousted from the company to become one of the top draws for the WWE. Miro and Malakai Black saw the writing on the wall and returned to the WWE as soon as they were contractually able to do so. Adam Cole went from someone that might be the next Shawn Micheals to just another guy on the roster. Penta was underutilized for most of his All Elite tenure, and has become a featured star on Raw in a matter of just a few months.

The lesson to be learned is that the bloom was off the rose so to speak with the perception of AEW and the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

That's why the debut of Mariah May on NXT earlier this week is a microcosm of the shift in the paradigm of the industry.

At 26, May is in the prime of her career, and with less than five years experience between her time in Stardom in Japan and nearly a two-year stint in AEW, she has at least a solid foundation of experience to build upon for the major leagues. Her feud with Toni Storm was one of the better aspects of All Elite programming the past several months, as her heel turn last year was a memorable moment, she won the title at Wembley Stadium, and eventually there was a payoff to the rivalry on pay-per-view. Besides the fact that the match at Revolution was too gory and could potentially sour the audience, one of the reasons that her feud with Storm was so well done was because it built and concluded in a logical manner. The bout at Revolution less than three months ago was her final appearance in All Elite Wrestling.

Essentially, the past year and a half was an audition for WWE, as it gave Mariah May a platform to be seen and as soon as she had the chance to jump ship, she left All Elite. When you consider that she was in a featured spot as a part of a featured storyline on an extended basis on AEW programming, but still chose to leave the company, it speaks volumes about the narrative of All Elite. May has seen enough examples of talented prospects that got lost in the shuffle of the slapstick approach to Dynamite and knew when to make the move before she found herself in the witness protection program of Ring Of Honor or just paid to stay home completely off the radar. Has anyone seen Britt Baker?

The jump itself is minimal, that's not to say that Mariah May doesn't have the potential to be a star for the WWE, but rather that the company has a lot of depth in the women's division so the bigger story is the message it sends about the status of the industry. In 2019, legitimate stars trusted Tony Khan with the future of there careers, and prospects thought it would be the place that they could be made national stars. That simply isn't the case now, and it's been a very intriguing narrative to see unfolded in recent years. As mentioned, competition is a key aspect of the business, but the dynamics have flipped in many ways, as some of the blunders of AEW have actually put more of a spotlight on the success of the WWE in the past few years.

APWF returns

The Allied Powers Wrestling Federation, a league with a lineage that stretches back to 1998, kicks off its summer schedule in just a few weeks when it returns to Indiana country's S&T Bank Arena June 22nd for another super show under the APWF banner, headlined by former ECW and NWA World Heavyweight champion, Rhino.

Anchored by former longtime pro, "Bad" Bubba Brewer, the Allied Powers organization returned to action last year after it spent more than a decade dormant. Brewer, who retired from in-ring competition several years ago, citing age and injury, jumped back into the industry as a promoter with both feet after he saw the emerging young talent throughout central and western Pennsylvania, as well as the surrounding states.

When his organization made its comeback in June of last year at the venue located in central PA, Brewer planned the event as a one-off to honor the accomplishments of Chris Coleman and Don Fulmer, the pair known as Team Tapout, one of the most accomplished duos in the history of the region. A true old school grappler and pro wrestling historian, Bubba brought then-NWA World Heavyweight champion, Ethan Carter III to defend his title for the first time ever in Indiana county.

"Bubba asked me to join the team and I didn't hesitate when I had him as a guest on the Pro Wrestling Extreme Talk Podcast. This is a dream come true for me and I appreciate Bubba for asking me," said Larry Striker, who works on the APWF social media team and scouts independent talent for the organization.

The event, which was stacked with the previously mentioned stellar youngsters, made such an impression that Brewer ran two more events the same year in August and October respectively, in Johnstown, giving the APWF somewhat of a throwback vibe to the territory system of a bygone era.

However, Brewer knew how important the S&T Bank Arena was to the resurgence of his pro wrestling company and he only felt it was right to bring another night of blockbuster action to the building when he decided to kickoff his 2025 schedule.

Among the nine matches already announced, NWA star, Spencer Slade will square off with Buffalo area standout Thomas Kennedy. Other Buffalo stalwarts on the card include Vince Valor, who drew the assignment as the opponent of the previously mentioned legendary grappler, Rhino. Women's action will see the rookie Ava Brooks, who has taken the independent circuit by storm, already winning championships along the east coast in her first year in the sport, across the ring from Laylah James. In a highlyanticipated match-up of the top young lions in the Pittsburgh area, Zach Nystrom collides with Canaan Kristopher. Former two-time Ryse Wrestling Grand Champion, Cowpoke Paul is scheduled to compete against NWA Exodus mainstay, Cristiano Argento, a competitor that has previously appeared on AEW and WWE programming. Well-known podcaster from the Conrad Thompson network of shows, Marcus DeAngelo is scheduled to make his APWF debut in a tag bout. Within the past few years, Marcus pursued a career inside the ring ropes after he spent countless hours hearing the stories of legends like Jake "The Snake" Roberts and Ted DiBiase on their respective programs. Marcus plans to bring fellow podcaster and his brother, Dominic to the S & T Bank Arena on June 22 in Indiana county.

"I’m looking forward to getting back to Indiana, PA for the APWF. I went to college there and I think it’s safe to say that I’m officially the most famous person who ever lived in that podunk town. Jimmy Stewart can stick it. I’m teamed up with “The Shape” Jake Wiley and I can promise you, there’s never been a more deadly combination in tag team wrestling. My brother Dominic will be joining me at ringside to make sure Alex Danis and Gerard Garrett stay in line," said DeAngelo with a smirk.

"As for June 22 Redemption, we have Rhino coming in, which is exciting, and a first time ever main event of Bill Collier vs. Gorgeous Gregory. That right there is a match you don't want to miss. I'm excited for the fans for this event. You never know what might happen or who will appear," added Larry Striker.

The main event of Bill Collier, a longtime pro of the ring that recently appeared as a part of TNA's Boarder Brawl and regarded as one of the best talents of the region, paired against the immensely talented youngster Gorgeous Gregory, is a bout that has became the talk of the local scene since it was announced. Gregory began training to be a professional wrestler at the age of just 16 before he debuted two years later and within the past few years has proven himself to be a prodigy of the canvas. Collier is the current International Wrestling Cartel heavyweight champion, a belt that he has held for more than three years. Along with that, Collier keeps a full schedule, wrestling primarily in New York. When it comes to APWF main events, Collier has been a franchise player for Brewer's organization. He was the man that challenged EC3 for the NWA world title when the promotion had the event at the S &T Bank Arena last year, and he had a critically-acclaimed main event bout against Spencer Slade in Johnstown last August. Many pundits have speculated that if Gregory is victorious, he might be able to obtain the top spot in the company.

Other contests slated for the card include "The Big Boss" Glenn Spectre against Isaiah Prince. This bout brings together grapplers from two different ends of the spectrum in terms of their experience. Spectre broke into the sport nearly 25 years ago, the same year that Prince was born. When Glenn became the first foreigner or "gaijin" to win the DDT Tag Team Titles in Japan in the early-2000s, Prince was just a toddler. "The Big Boss" is regarded by many as a jam up guy for his rugged in-ring style that he was able to blend with technical maneuvers to simultaneously be an offensive and defensive wrestler. Prince is a nearly five-year pro so will he be able to use a win over Spectre to make a statement in the APWF? To round out the line-up, Braden Elliot will set into the ring with Matt McCoy, another Buffalo standout that has been apart of the fabric of the APWF since its relaunch last year.

With a bell time of 3 PM on that Sunday afternoon, Rhino will be available to fans for a meet and greet opportunity at 2 PM before the live event starts with indywrestling.us cameras there for the video production of the event. APWF officials have expressed their excitement to be able to bring fans not only photo-ops and autographs from the legendary Rhino, but also an afternoon of memorable action for the next chapter of the company.

R-Truth released

By nature, professional wrestling, much like any other form of live entertainment, can be a shark tank. Fame, fortune, and ego can often have a nasty side to them. Of course, there are dozens of episodes of the Dark Side of The Ring series based on some of the bleaker aspects of the business. There was competition for the top spot and the massive money that went along with that so there were rivalries behind the scenes because of that dynamic. That was the case more often in a previous era than it is today because of how much the brand of the WWE is the overall selling point more than individual stars. It goes without saying that there are positives and negatives to that philosophy, but the point is, the current generation usually knows that they can make more money working together than trying to undercut each other in the booking meetings.

Don't get me wrong, pro wrestling will always be political, but the days of "that don't work for me, brother" when ego, not the goal of drawing the most money, happen exponentially less often now than they did thirty years ago.

That being said, even through the political landmine that the industry can be at times, there are certain performers that were universally beloved for their talent and genuine nature backstage. Terry Funk, Bobby Hennan, Rickey Steamboat, Bobby Eaton, and Big E are just a few of the names that you never hear anyone say anything negative about, a reflection of their real-life character.

That's why it was legitimately shocking to hear the news that Ron Killings, who has worked under the WWE banner for the past 17 years, was abruptly released from his WWE contract just a few days ago. Besides the fact that R-Truth is unanimously praised for his ability in the ring and his real-life good nature, it was very surprising because he was still currently featured on WWE programming, working a spotlighted match against John Cena at Saturday Night's Main event a few weeks ago, and a match against Jeff Cobb on Smackdown.

At 53, Killings was obviously at the latter stages of his in-ring career, but the guy stays in great shape, he can still go in the ring, and he's legitimately one of the most over performers on the roster. It can't be understated how valuable a performer like Killings is because he can do anything that he's asked to do. If you need an over baby face to warm up the crowd during the dark match prior to the live broadcast, Killings can work the audience up for the television show. If you need a comedy segment to pace the overall show, we know that it has been a Killings specialty for several years. It should be noted that there's a major difference between attempted comedy in wrestling, there are a laundry list of Vince Russo failures in that category, and entertaining comedy in the sport. Killings has been on the right side of that equation throughout his WWE tenure. Furthermore, and this really showed how well-rounded Killings is, he worked as a credible heel against John Cena for a pay-per-view main event in 2011.

Again, it can't be glossed over how important it is to have wrestlers as versatile as R-Truth on the card because while he wasn't the main event of Wrestlemania every year, he was always going to be an asset based on what the company needed, and that's where the true depth is to the roster. William Regal is another prime example of this, which is why he has such an extended tenure with the organization.

Was R-Truth going to wrestle for another 10 years? No, but that doesn't mean that he shouldn't have been kept under contract for another decade, especially given the level of his skills and how it could've been used in different areas even after he concluded his time as an in-ring competitor.

That's why the release of Ron Killings might be more of a statement about the direction of the WWE under the TKO banner than anything else.

There are countless examples of how corporate suites just don't understand the nature of the very unique genre of professional wrestling, the vast majority of the WCW ownership under Turner was an example of that. You simply can't run a sports entertainment venture as if the wrestlers are just interchangeable and anyone with a pair of boots will fit the mold. Hopefully, that's not the tact that TKO is going to take, but the release of Ron Killings might be an indication that says otherwise.

Last week, I penned an article about the shift of Wrestlemania 42 from the previously announced New Orleans back to Las Vegas again because sin city offered more money than Burbon Street to host the event for the second year in a row. As mentioned, since Wrestlemania is a travel audience, the destination is almost moot, but if the corporation leans in to the concept of snatching every dollar they can rather than serve the audience, it's possible that they could be some backlash from the audience.

Management was framed as the villains for years, which is why there was the initial demand for the alternative that became AEW, and it took several years for that notion to change, with Triple H being seen as the baby face leader of the organization after the disgraceful exit of Vince McMahon a few years ago.

Granted, given the type of deviant behavior that Vince was accused of and the millions of dollars that he paid to keep several affairs quiet, there's no doubt that he shouldn't be the head of the WWE. It might sound like an overly dramatic statement, but if even a portion of the allegations of the current lawsuit are true, it wouldn't be a safe environment for female employees if Vince was still the boss. That being said, Vince always got the match in the ring because he knew how important it was to deliver on what was advertised. That credibility is what made the WWE such a massive entertainment brand, because it wasn't the local indy show where the aging legend that was booked might no-show the event.

TKO taking the bigger money from Las Vegas despite New Orleans being announced wasn't something that Vince McMahon would've done. Furthermore, even with McMahon gone, if WWE wasn't owned by TKO, it's possible that Ron Killings wouldn't have been cut from his deal. The reason being is that regardless of some very ruthless business practices, including the release of a few dozen talent during the pandemic in the midst of record-setting profits to pad the profit margin for the next conference call with stockholders, there was still the concept of how the old guard took care of certain guys that earned it.

Vince kept guys like Captain Lou, Arnold Skaaland, Gorilla Monsoon, and others within the company because of their loyalty to Vince St. before the national expansion. There were also others that were quietly kept on the payroll as a sign of respect.

Under the TKO banner, should the talent be leery that their job could be in jeopardy when they reach a certain age? Clearly, R-Truth doesn't need a favor job, he's talented enough to still wrestle of television, work with younger talent, or be a great representative for the organization from a PR prospective. That's why his release is such a stark statement about the WWE with TKO as the boss. Despite all those qualities that legitimately give a reason why R-Truth should still have a job, he was released anyway.

It was obvious that a corporate entity that wasn't based in the history of the business was going to take the WWE brand in a different direction, but it could have an overall negative impact on the organization in the future if every decision that it makes is strictly based on the dollars and cents of the situation. Aspects like lock room morale, mentorship, and the overall positive atmosphere around the company are intangibles that could eventually have a domino effect on the product.