The Ricochet situation

Last month, I penned an article asking if former WWE and current All Elite Wrestling performer, Ricochet was  right or delusional? The matter in question was his claim that WWE tarnished his "legacy" and if his philosophy about pro wrestling compared to sports entertainment was valid.

Given his latest blunder on social media, it appears that the question has been answer, the real-life Trevor Mann is delusional.

First, it should be noted that social media is an absolute cesspool and will, in some form or another, lead to the downfall of society. Considering the role that Twitter played with getting the current administration elected and the ongoing war with Iran as a domino effect, the proof is in the orange pudding. Among my many rants about modern society and the role that social media plays in it, I've said many times that while everyone has a right to their opinion (for now, depending on what the orange blob tries to do next)), that doesn't automatically mean that everyone should have a platform to express it or that their perspective on anything has value. Every yo-yo with an internet connection was suddenly a political science major or an expert on the law.

The biggest takeaway is that sharing a meme with little effort or knowledge isn't about the freedom of expression, but rather nothing more than self-important behavior. Is anyone looking for Billy Bob's perspective on the latest economic report? The key is, you have to take almost everything with a grain of salt on social media because sadly, especially in American society, there's very little substance with an overwhelming amount of nonsense. People are too busy spending $7 on Starbucks and paying a $12 delivery fee on Door Dash to put the effort into a dialogue or a vaguely coherent thought.

"When you're born, you get a ticket to the sideshow. When you're born in America, you get a front row seat," -George Carlin.

Secondly, it's important to keep in mind that the public is only aware of what someone willingly puts on social media. The public only knows what you allow them to know, and more often than not, people will overshare meaningless aspects of their lives. Nobody asked about Sue's cousin's mailman's hemorrhoid surgery, but if someone willingly puts it on social media then it's in the public sphere so its fair game to comment on. Don't get me wrong, I hope the mailman recovers with a Snoopy band aid and has one of the cushion donuts for his recliner to allow for an easier healing process, but did anyone need to know the information in the first place?

Too often, too many people put too much of their personal lives online without the thought that someone might criticize or comment negatively. Relationship problems, family issues, or gripes about your job are rarely going to be solved by acquaintances or random strangers on the internet. This goes back to the previously mentioned self-important behavior. Again, one of the many reasons that social media is a dumpster fire is that many people simply want the attention or the validation so that they can get a superficial sense of being important without having to accomplish anything. If someone knocks their boss online and then gets canned for it the following Monday then they put themselves in that situation. Furthermore, there's also the infamous virtue signaling where someone will claim to be offended just to try to score social media points. There's no nobility in standing up for a cause if the intentions behind it are insincere or self-serving.

With that out of the way, Ricochet has once again found himself the topic of discussion because of something he said on social media. To be fair, this story isn't all that surprising because the guy was so insufferable online that it led to him being turned heel on television because his real-life obtuseness showed through even with the pyro and ballyhoo of the television screen. Ricochet had a clip of a backstage segment posted online, and a fan responded by saying that his acting hadn't gotten any better. Considering that he was such a doofus on the mic when he first arrived in AEW that the fans began to boo him mercilessly, she might have a point. Ricochet replied saying that he's glad that the fan has MS.

Ricochet, an athlete in his theoretical prime making great money in his chosen career path, often takes the time to spar with nameless trolls on social media. Sure, there's no harm in observing the circus, but that doesn't mean that he should've become a clown. The most basic problem is that the people that Ricochet responses to are usually the mutants with an anime character as their profile picture and 11 followers. There's zero consequence for them to post nonsense online, but when Ricochet engages with it to the degree that he doesn't, he theoretically has at least something to lose from it because of the previously mentioned national contract that puts him on television.

I'm all for dicing someone on social media that deserves it, but if some neck beard doesn't like Ricochet's moonsault, is it worth the effort to type a response? It's not as though Ricochet puts someone in check for negligence or post a warning so others are aware of a potential safety issue. He's a 37-year-old guy that often throws a virtual temper tantrum if someone online doesn't like his promo this week.

It should be noted that the lady with multiple sclerosis put that information in her biography so technically it's fair game for someone to comment on, but does her criticism of Ricochet's acting skills truly justify his reply that he's glad that she has a debilitating condition? It's not as though she insulted his family or even the real-life Trevor Mann, she took a rather tame jab at his wrestling persona's acting skills.

The bottom line is, for an athlete that was given the physical gifts to gracefully soar through the air to claim that he's glad that this lady endures a serious disorder, especially for a rather tame comment, will never be a good look. It paints Ricochet in a negative light and there's not really any other way to look at it. He said something direct, there's no room for interpretation of what he meant. After the social media interaction was picked up by several news outlets from outside the realm of pro wrestling, Ricochet deleted the tweet and later posted an apology. I think it goes without saying that the apology was merely a result of the online backlash.

Speaking of the result, the sum total of all of this will probably be nothing. Sandi, the lady that Ricochet responded to, will probably continue with the rest of her usual schedule. It's doubtful that she's going to be shattered by what a mid-card wrestler thinks of her condition, as dealing with the disorder itself is much more important. That said, I wish her the best and I hope she can stay as healthy as possible. For Ricochet, the impact of his ignorance will be minimal, if anything at all. He's not going to get fired, and I'm not saying he should be, even if his involvement in the promotion doesn't move the needle either way. There can be a debate about if he deserves to get fired, but that's a decision for Tony Khan to make, and it's a Pandora's box that is too lengthy to discuss now. So, it will be business as usual in terms of his position in the company. That being said, this entire incident makes it tough for anyone to be a fan of this guy. Again, Sandi didn't insult Ricochet personally, and given the seriousness of her illness, his reply went way further than her critique. He could've easily replied that he makes big money with those acting skills, and this is never a story, but of course, that would require him to have an ounce of self-awareness of his place in the industry. Side note, the absolute morons that are sending death threats to Samantha Irvin should be reported to the authorities and face penalties. Only true scum threat violence toward a woman and there's no excuse for that online either. Ricochet has proved himself to be as aloof as he is acrobatic. The bottom line is, this will probably put a ceiling on how far Ricochet can go in the company. Would it really be wise to invest main event stock into a performer that puts this type of nonsense on social media? The world champion is often deemed a representative of the organization, which is why the WWE is so particular with who they put in that spot. This situation more or less proves that WWE brass made the right decision not to invest more TV time into Ricochet when he was there. As far as Ricochet being an asset to AEW, would he possibly be a good representative for the company after the negativity of this incident?

What's the status of Mistico?

Lucha libre is one of the most storied and impressive aspects within the entire history of professional wrestling. The colorful masks, the acrobatics, and the passion displayed, both by the performers and the dedicated fans, are staples of why the Mexican genre stands out as much as it does as something uniquely its own. Furthermore, the sport is a bonafide tradition in the native country, as it's passed down through generations, again both from families in the ring and families in the seats.

That's why the evolving lucha landscape, particularly since the AAA purchase by TKO last year, seems to be at somewhat of a crossroads in terms of the overall direction of the business in Mexico.

There's no doubt that TKO bought AAA because it was essentially a way to buy a WWE foothold in Mexico, something the company simply wasn't going to be able to do on its own. Sure, the Hispanic fan base would attend the yearly spectacle of WWE in their town once a year, but it wasn't their brand. It wasn't built or developed within that previously mentioned lucha tradition. Much like the regional territory system in the United States from years ago, and in some ways still today, the foundation of lucha libre is based on regular attendance of live cards. Obviously, there are television deals in place within the country, but true to the passion of the Mexican audience, the connection to the sport is based on the thrilling live event experience.

The WWE, as much of an international juggernaut as it was prior to the merger, and even more so today under the TKO banner, wasn't going to be able to forge that connection with the audience simply by slapping the WWE logo on a spinoff project. We've heard for a few decades that the Latino demographic has the potential to be a majorly profitable revenue stream, especially within the population in the United States. During its heyday of the early-90s, AAA ran a slew of events in America, including the legendary When Worlds Collide pay-per-view that was produced by WCW in 1994. Still, it was going to take a very concerted and continuous effort to truly expand the brand into the US, which is why the few attempts over the years in various forms yielded mixed results at best. Lucha Libre USA is a forgettable project,despite the fact that it had a short-lived show on MTV 2 and an even more forgettable action figure line that briefly had retail space. Lucha Underground was a cult hit and fell off a cliff just as fast, regardless of having several very talented performers under contract at one point.

Quite simply, the WWE machine has the distribution, and structure, and most importantly, the money to truly expand AAA in both Mexico and the United States.

The potential is there, but as mentioned, nothing is automatic. In fact, there is somewhat of a tug-of-war within the lucha climate right now, as far as the newer AAA brand under the WWE umbrella with a bigger level of star power from the infusion of WWE stars compared to the tradition of CMLL with its weekly Friday night cards at Arena Mexico. On one hand, TKO is integrating authentic lucha libre into the WWE portfolio, and in some ways, it has been successful, albeit of a smaller sample size, with Dominik Mysterio, Grande Americano, and others blended with native stars like Mr. Iguana, Vikingo, and Psycho Clown. On the other hand, especially given the political turmoil, particularly with the immigration issue, it's possible that the Mexican fans won't be thrilled to embrace a brand that is ultimately owned by an American corporation so closely associated with Trump.

The other side of the coin is that CMLL had a strong year with Mistico at the top of the card, drawing regular sell outs of the previously mentioned Arena Mexico, as the famous venue in Mexico City is considered a major tourist attraction even among people that aren't pro wrestling fans. Sure, tickets are kept affordable, both for the domestic and international fans, but getting people in the door is revenue, and the fact that people are willing to spend money on the product is an undeniable metric of success. Part of the reason that the organization has remained such a staple in the country is that it owns some of its key buildings, including Arena Mexico, Arena Coliseo, and Arena Puebla.

One of the ways that CMLL has been able to avoid being overwhelmed by the WWE effort to promote AAA to a bigger level is that the promotion has continued to bring in AEW talent on a semi-regular basis through their current working agreement. Claudio Castagnoli won the CMLL heavyweight title a few months ago and has worked often for the company since that time. Mercedes Mone just dropped the CMLL Women's title to Persephone earlier this month. MJF worked a few matches for CMLL in mid-2025 when he won the Light Heavyweight belt before he dropped it to Mistico in a stellar mask vs. title bout. Granted, AEW performers don't have the level of star power or are as well known as the WWE names that have been used for AAA, but there's no doubt that the All Elite aspect has been beneficial to CMLL. Again, tickets sold and revenue are indications of success.

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer has touted the success of CMLL more recently than in past years, which has more to do with catering to his base as a contrarian to WWE than anything else, but the evolving dynamics of the lucha scene can have an important domino effect on the entire industry. Make no mistake about it, the WWE bought AAA to monetize the Mexican market as much as possible, and if they are going to be successful, they are definitely looking to take a portion of the market share away from CMLL. That's not nearly as provocative as the greedy corporation trying to take revenue away from a smaller organization, it's often the case with the expansion in any form of business.

After he won a portion of the meaningless AEW Trios belts at the Revolution pay-per-view, it was announced that Mistico had signed a deal with the company. It's not necessarily shocking because Tony Khan has signed almost every international star that gets any type of significant praise in the Observer newsletter, and the lucha headliner already worked for the company a handful of times before anyway. However, it was still somewhat surprising because Mistico is the top guy for CMLL so this means that an AEW contract will either take him away from his home promotion to a hindering degree if he's not available to work major events in Mexico City, or it could help solidify CMLL's position in the business as they will theoretically have access to more American talent to bolster the live event cards going forward through a more extensive partnership with an American promotion.

This past weekend's AAA Rey De Reyes event was held in Puebla at Auditorio Seguros, a bigger venue than CMLL's Arena Puebla. It's not necessarily the fact that its a bigger building, but rather the fact that WWE is running events around Mexico City that makes it clear that they know how important it is to get more of the market share of Mexico. This is where Mistico's signing and theoretically an expanded partnership with CMLL is a key piece of the puzzle in the grand scheme of things. Tony Khan said during the post-PPV press conference that Mistico would split his time between the two groups, and Tony, despite his eccentric personality, knows that he has to keep Mistico strong on his television show to avoid doing any damage to the CMLL brand. Besides being known as a genuinely nice guy, even if his slapstick approach to the booking process has its critics, Tony has an undeniable respect for the business. He's not going to do anything that could hinder Mistico's position in Mexico.

When Tony is going to book CMLL's top star, there's obviously a level of trust there from the Mexican office, and again with a step forward in the partnership between the two groups, it gives CMLL access to more talent to keep their shows strong. If some ways, it's also a way to make sure that Tony's bloated roster doesn't sit at home or in catering because he can always send talent to CMLL if he doesn't have anything for them in AEW.

Of course, TKO is a billion dollar company and in the vast majority of cases, they could throw enough money at anyone to get them to sign a deal to work for AAA. Angel Garza's recent response to a fan's question on social media about why he re-signed with the WWE instead of opting to work for CMLL is proof of this. Garza, who is from a wrestling family, explained that he makes exponentially more money working for the WWE and had to make the right decision for his family. Ironically, Mistico would probably be the exception after his absolutely disastrous run in WWE several years ago so it's doubtful that he would be offered another contract. But, similar to any other industry, it's extremely important, both for the wrestlers and the fans, that there's a measurable level of competition. It's a positive for AAA to get the increased exposure and expanded distribution of TKO, but there would ultimately be less overall opportunists for talent in the future if the expansion had a negative impact on CMLL so the working agreement with AEW, specifically the signing of Mistico, is a key point for the industry.

AEW Revolution review

All Elite Wrestling kicked off its 2026 pay-per-view schedule with Revolution, a sold out event with more than 10,000 fans in Los Angeles. It's wasn't a record-setting crowd, but when you can move that amount of tickets for a show, you're doing something right.

So, why does it seem like the office got the pay-per-view so wrong?

The show kicked off with the conclusion of the battle royal for the National title that started on the pre-show. As I've said before, this is a neat way to start the pay-per-views, as it's something to differentiate the presentation from the WWE, an aspect that they probably could do more with in terms of the presentation. The WWE pay-per-views have become notoriously bloated with more ads and commercials than in-ring action so for All Elite to have the action literally from the moment that the broadcasts starts, it gives the organization something unique from a production standpoint. I'm not sure Jack Perry winning the National championship means anything in the grand scheme of things, as the title is nothing more than a prop based on the countless belts already in the company. Furthermore, I'd put very little stock into Perry, as his track record suggests that he doesn't have the mindset to be successful in the business. "Real glass, cry me a river" will be what Perry is most remembered for.

The first match of the pay-per-view card was FTR defending the tag belts against The Young Bucks. In truth, this chapter of the feud really should've been how the rivalry started when FTR debuted almost six years ago. It was rather telling that when The Bucks resurfaced after the backstage fight with CM Punk, FTR was MIA, prompting speculation that the EVPs might have wanted to avoid another team outshining them. It also led to speculation that maybe FTR would end up being overlooked in All Elite similar to the way that they were in WWE. Thankfully, this recent run put a renewed spotlight on them, and in some ways, made The Young Bucks relevant again. The tongue-in-cheeks heel run where they leaned into the fact that the audience had Young Bucks fatigue didn't have the reserve psychology effect that it was designed for. On a better note, this tag team bout was tremendous and a major example of the good portion of AEW programming. This was a fast-paced, physical bout that showcased just how talented these two teams can be when they're put in a scenario where the best match possible is the objective, not a backstage agenda. It was fun to see the Jackson family being used for the entrance, and it gave something for FTR to work with as heels. This was crisp and smooth tag team action that should be an example of how the tag division can still be a draw in the modern era. Nick Jackson and Dax bled buckets, adding to the intensity of the segment. Nick hulking up was a little goofy, but it was far from the silliest stuff that happened on this show. The near falls toward the end of the match were very well done, which added a lot of drama as the advantage tilted back and fourth before the conclusion. FTR hit an impressive shatter machine from the ropes to get the win and retain the titles.

Now, the major problem with this is that this all happened in the first match of a four and a half hour pay-per-view card. We saw the high spots, the blood, and the razor-close near falls. What else is the rest of the card supposed to do without it either being a retread or diminishing returns? It was the opening match and two guys were already bleeding, why would blood on the rest of the card matter? In a vacuum, this match was great, it gave  the fans their money's worth and was a great example of the company's tag team division, but the placement of this as the first bout on the card was a total booking blunder. Again, how does the rest of the card follow a 20-minute fireworks show? This is why booking and pacing a card is so important because the proper way to do so maximizes the overall presentation, which is what fans are paying for when they order the event. Furthermore, after the match, Cope and Christian returned for what looked to be a set up for a feud with FTR. Copeland and his former tag partner are superb performers with Hall of Fame careers, but is anyone really looking forward to more Edge in 2026? Furthermore, the post-match angle took the attention away from the stellar match that just happened. But, hey at least Meltzer will give it six stars.

Toni Storm beat Marina Shafir with a small package in about 10 minutes. This was a good change of pace from the dazzling spot fest that the audience just saw before it. Credit to Shafir, there was a point that she was as subpar as anyone on the roster with the infamous, "you know me" promo, but she has developed into a decent heel throughout this recent run with the death riders stable. Her in-ring work with the strikes and body language gave the impression of a vicious heel, and essentially, spotlighted her positives, while hiding the weaknesses. There was no reason for this bout to go any longer than it did, as it accomplished the goal of a solid match and wrapped up before it got tedious. The back suplex spot that Toni took on the floor was brutal. Unfortunately, the Ronda Rousey cameo at the end of this segment was rather pointless. Despite her friendship with Shafir, Ronda completely soured the fans with her comments about pro wrestling after she was given the featured position during her original run with WWE. Furthermore, her second run with the company showed that she completely floundered when she wasn't catered to. Considering that she has a Netflix fight in two months with Gina Carano, she can't do anything on the show that would risk injury so what's the purpose of her appearance? More importantly, there simply isn't a demand to see Ronda Rousey involved in pro wrestling again.

Jon Moxley vs. Konosuke Takeshita was a 25-minute bout that blended a little bit of everything as they exchanged technical maneuvers, strikes, and took bumps off the top rope. This one went a few minutes too long, but was still a quality bout and something that could be used to represent the AEW brand in terms of what the alternative can bring to the table. However, the major flaw of this match was two-fold. Just two matches ago, we saw two wrestlers bleeding, and now Takeshita had to bleed when it really added nothing to the match. The tag match was booked and structured like it was a co-main or main event, but that literally wasn't the case. The same can be said for this bout, it was given the time and then structured like it was going to close the show, but yet again, how is the rest of the card supposed to follow it? By the end of the night, when the actual main event, theoretically the most important match on the show, tried to do much of the same stuff, it's not nearly as effective because the audience has already seen it several times throughout the night. The other major problem is just like there was already blood two matches ago, the lights went out again. This time, it was Will Ospreay's return to the company after he required neck surgery to repair a serious injury. In the course of fighting the death riders, Ospreay did a twisting moonsault to the floor and almost clipped his head on the apron, more or less proving that he learned nothing about the injury that put him out of action in the first place. Keep in mind, I say that because I think Will Ospreay has the talent to be the franchise guy for AEW the same way that AJ Styles was the representative of TNA. There's simply no reason for Ospreay to take risks like this since he has the ability to be much more important to the success of AEW.

The Divine Dominion beat The Babes of Wrath in five minutes. This segment should've been saved for an episode of Dynamite. They all have the potential to become stars, but when a show is over four and a half hours long, this is something that could've been trimmed from the line-up.

Swerve and Brody King were able to put together a match that stood out from the pack so to speak. Their match was based on hard-hitting strikes and some nasty bumps, but was done in such a way that made the most of the risks they took. If there's a correct way to work a modern match like this then these two had the right formula. The apron and floor bumps, including the vertebreaker on the outside were brutal. These two are solid pros and this performance reflected that. One of the aspects that set this apart was the fact that there was selling of those previously mentioned bumps. Swerve got the victory after the jumping kick to the face. Post-match, there was another run-in when Kenny Omega, who Swerve put through a table on Dynamite a few weeks ago, made the save.

The Thekla vs. Kris Statlander two out of three falls match was very well done, both from an in-ring and psychology perspective. Everything they did was solid and made each of them look good in the process. A side note, the Thekla video package that aired before this bout did more to explain her character than anything done since her debut so it would've been wise to put such a video package on television before she debuted. Thekla using the ropes to get the pin on the first fall was basic, but effective psychology. It put heat on the heel, and gives the baby face odds to overcome during the match. Statlander tied it up before a ref bump prevented her from getting the win. A visual pin is a way to keep the baby face strong, but still get the result of the heel retaining the championship. There was outside interference, allowing Thekla to get the cheap victory. There should be more fundamentals like this used throughout the entire AEW product.

The next three matches were fine for what they were, but they were either forgettable or unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Mistico and Jet Speed winning the trios belts means nothing because those champions have no cache and are just more props on the show. The Bandido/Andrade bout was very solid lucha wrestling, but at more than three hours into the show, it became a tedious viewing experience, especially when it went almost twenty minutes. Furthermore, Andrade won, but Bandido is the ROH World champion so why exactly does the result matter? The other six man tag match where Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy, and Roderick Strong beat The War Dogs faction wasn't needed and could've easily been put on television. Again, that matters when the card is so unnecessarily long on a Sunday night.

The main event was promoted as a Texas Death Match, but it was actually a last man standing match. There was more than 45 minutes of overkill and crash TV. Both Adam Page and MJF were bleeding early in the contest, which is exactly why there didn't need to be two wrestlers bleeding in the first match. There was gimmick broken glass, barbed wire, and several tables used all before the half way point of the segment. The syringe with the needle through Page's mouth was just gross and makes the entire company look bush league. This is supposed to be a national promotion, not an Ian Rotten indy group in front of 150 people in a barn. Quite frankly, MJF is and should be much better than this attempt to "shock" the audience. Some of the same thing can be said for the use of light tubes. This isn't meant as a knock on Game Changer Wrestling, but there's a reason that GCW successfully markets itself to a niche demographic. The glass and blood everywhere to such an excessive level is completely misguided for an organization on TBS. The exploding table was ridiculous because there was no logical reason for it to be there, and the fact that both competitors were on their feet within nine seconds more or less hindered its effectiveness anyway. Speaking of illogically, Page jumping up to no sell before the finish sequence just looked silly. Eventually, MJF used a dog collar to choke out Page to retain the championship.

As I said, if the company can sell 10,000 tickets to this show, the pieces of the puzzle are there, but as is often the case with AEW, almost none of those pieces are anywhere near the right place. There was too much blood, too many risks, too many bumps on the floor, too many run-ins, too many matches, and the show itself was just too long. The entire presentation was overkill and most of the show was reduced to crash TV rather than a pay-per-view that built to the main event. Sure, this type of PPV is serving the All Elite audience, but the problem is that the number of people that are willing to pay for it has been stagnant for several years,which is why the AEW buy rates are usually the same. More importantly, some of the stuff that was booked for this card will do more to sour fans on the product rather than increase the fan base.

What's the status of Cody Rhodes?

Has the WWE devalued Cody Rhodes?

There's no doubt that when Cody Rhodes ambitiously left the WWE in 2016, he proved the global, publicly-traded corporation wrong, as the office only saw him as a second-tier comedy character as a spin-off version of his brother's much more successful persona. Cody reinvented himself as the American Nightmare outside of the WWE so that he could return to eventually be the top guy in the company. That's one of the many reasons that competition is so important within the industry because without the platform of AEW for Cody to completely rejuvenate his career, he wouldn't have been able to become the top star that he is today in the WWE. He was one of the core forces behind All Elite Wrestling, the group that had the chance to be a true competitor to the WWE before a series of key fumbles had it settle into the position as a secondary alternative.

Cody's two-year journey to the championship saw a spike in attendance, as the storyline didn't lead to a boom of the wrestling business, which has exponentially more moving parts across the entire industry, but it served the WWE fan base very well. That's why, for a period of time, the audience was willing to pay the outlandish ticket prices that they aren't nearly as willing to pay for this year's Wrestlemania. Some of that is the natural process of the peaks and valleys of the business. It's simply not possible to have a major increase without an eventual decline to some degree. The fans of the WWE already saw the peak of the current era.

Cody Rhodes checks all the boxes to be the top star for a corporate pro wrestling company. He is a tremendous performer, he represents the company well, he can do the media appearances, and most importantly, he's not going to make headlines for the wrong reasons, which is extremely difficult in the modern age of smart phones and TMZ.

As a performer and a representative, Cody is on pace to take the John Cena spot for the organization, a position that another performer wasn't going to be able to take until Cena retired. Still, ahead of Wrestlemania 42, I have to be honest, the writing team has devalued Cody Rhodes.

This has nothing to do with his skills and everything to do with the scripting of his path to the biggest event of the year, and at this point, it's not possible to change that, as the fundamental flaws of how to book a baby face champion already took place. If the storyline can generate some much needed momentum based on the angle on this week's Smackdown remains to be seen.

When Drew McIntyre cost Cody the Royal Rumble victory, it planted the seeds for the eventual Wrestlemania showdown, and it gave fans a reason to tune into The Elimination Chamber, as it was a logical next step in the angle. That matters when the ESPN subscription is $30 a month so the extra hurdle makes sense, particularly because a baby face needs odds to overcome as far as building drama for the spectacle of WM. The issue is that Drew interfered in the chamber match as well, something that was one step too far in the process to be obstacles in the baby face's way to the marquee event. The problem is, both the Royal Rumble and the Elimination Chamber are no DQ so technically the heel didn't break the rules. You can get away with one of them, as it gave the Elimination Chamber a purpose, but interference in a no DQ gimmick match doesn't have nearly the same amount of heat. Seth Rollins got involved in that match, too.

So, Cody lost at the Rumble, lost at The Elimination Chamber, and then he was gifted a title shot on a random episode of Smackdown anyway. How exactly did Rhodes earn this title shot? Again, Drew didn't break the rules in either of the previous situations. Obviously, we know that the office was scrambling to shuffle the deck in response to the sluggish WM 42 ticket sales, but from purely a storyline perspective, Cody's title win wasn't exactly earned since he lost for the two opportunities in a relatively short period of time. He lost both of the key opportunities to be in the main event of Wrestlemania, but somehow he's still going to end up in that spot.

Keep in mind, this has nothing to do with Cody's talent, he should be in the main event, but the path that was scripted to get in there lacked logic and thus diminished his position as the baby face champion.

That's why the heel turn from Randy Orton, and more importantly, how it was done, was very important to the build to Wrestlemania. As much as the modern era burns the candle at both ends more often than not, and the risk compared to the reward ratio is usually unbalanced, the use of blood in the current WWE product is very well done. It's not overused so that when it happens, it has an impact and it stands out. Sure, this has become a common troupe to use for Cody Rhodes before Wrestlemania the past few years, but if it works, it works. Orton being the vicious and calculated heel that left Rhodes in a pool of his own blood gives Cody the previously mentioned odds to overcome for the journey to Wrestlemania. If this is enough to portray him as the valiant good guy by the time the bell rings in Las Vegas depends on the next four weeks of television and how the office builds off of the very effective heel turn.

That being said, I'm not sure if the specific match-up will be the fix that management hopes for, as far as moving more tickets for the show.

As I've written prior, the main selling point is the brand and the spectacle of Wrestlemania. The more than four decades of historical value and cache that is behind it usually sells tickets before a card is announced. Without a retread of all the previous details, the final year of John Cena's career gave the office an extra year of a unique selling point, but now, especially after the peak of the Cody win a few years ago, there's simply not enough meat on the bone for the typical WWE fan to pay the ludicrous prices when the lowest ticket in the building will be $350 each night. The Drew/Cody match wasn't realistically strong enough to main event WM because they've had four championship matches in roughly six or seven months. As far as that rivalry, it's been there, done that. If Drew was penciled in to lose too often is a different matter, the point is, it's not a fresh bout. Remember, there were reports that the initial plan for WM 42 was another Cody/Roman Reigns match, a contest that was hinted at during the War Games match at Survivor Series last year. That would've been three Rhodes/Reigns main events with the span of four years. That's Stone Cold/The Rock territory, and the modern main event today simply doesn't have that type of drawing power, which says more about the industry itself than any individual performer. The office pivoted with CM Punk and Reigns on Raw, a feud that may or may not have enough sizzle to it by the time we get to Allegiant Stadium. Roman had a historic four-year title run, but obviously that type of tenure is different in the era of countless hours of programming every week compared to when Hulk Hogan had the title in the 80s. So, it's understandable why it's at least possible that there might be some "Roman fatigue" as far as the main event of WM in 2026.

I bring that up because the shuffled pairing reveal that the WWE, specifically when there was theoretically a level of concern about ticket sales went back to the comfortable corporate option. Roman Reigns was the project that flopped before he became the champion that flourished. He has been a priority for the company for more than 12 years so it's easy to see why management went with a very prototypical WWE main eventer to try to boost sales. The same can be said for Randy Orton, he's a textbook WWE guy. He has the look and works the low-risk, main event style that they traditionally look for. Vince might be exiled in disgrace, but his lasting impact on how he marketed the WWE brand can be seen here.

In short, Roman and Randy are safe choices, at least for the office. Don't get me wrong, Orton is a tremendous performer, but for a guy as talented as he is, there aren't many memorable matches from his career. With this heel turn, some might want to reminisce about 2009 Orton, but if you go back and actually watch those contests, they are often very tedious and sometimes boring. That's not to say that Orton can't have great matches, but it's very clear when he doesn't put it into second gear in the ring. Orton worked more for the sizzle than the substance, which in theory is fine, but as an example, his bout with Triple H at WM 25 was known for the wrong reasons. Ironically, he worked a forgettable triple threat contest against Cody and Ted DiBiase Jr. in the second match on the card the following year.

The reason I mention this is that if Randy/Cody is a dud, it doesn't do anything to help continue Cody's momentum as the top guy, especially after the way he was booked so far this year. It's somewhat of an odd dynamic since the baby face  is already the champion,but maybe this is designed to put the title on Orton for another run? I'm looking forward to how the storyline unfolds because with two performers of this caliber, there's the potential for some great stuff, but at the same time, booking Orton into the main event spot doesn't guarantee it will be a successful storyline.

What's the staus of TNA?

When Total Nonstop Action debuted on AMC two months ago, it was the largest platform that the organization had in more than a decade since it was booted from Spike TV after network executives found out that Vince Russo was still secretly working for the company after he sent an e mail to PWInsider reporter, Mike Johnson that was meant for announcer Mike Tenay.

How the promotion survived in the years that followed was a small miracle, as it was the subject of a tax lien in the state of Tennessee, as well as a lawsuit when Dixie Carter tried to swindle Billy Corgan to pay for her vanity project, before it was rescued from the brink of collapse by Anthem. The Canadian group wanted to retain the highest-rated program on the Fight Network, and Anthem is a billion dollar corporation so much like Bob Carter's Panda Energy before he pulled the plug on the project to make his daughter a TV star, they could keep the wrestling league afloat indefinitely after the initial purchase in 2016.

The company had some very embarrassing years, including the ill-fated Global Force Wrestling merger and Alberto Del Rio's disastrous title reign. That's not to mention Tessa Blanchard refusing to drop the world title and keeping the belt in Mexico until it was sent back to the office via mail. Throughout that time, somehow there were still diehard TNA fans that followed the product that produced shows in front of very small crowds. Any claim that there was quality for the organization was completely coincidental, it was so far under the radar that it didn't matter. The Pursuit Channel offered lead-in programming of literally ice fishing from Poland so Anthem bought HD Net to give the TNA brand more of a presence on American television, but that channel had minimal television clearance, especially compared to WWE or AEW so it was still difficult to consider TNA a major promotion in the modern era.

Obviously, the NXT crossover, which had more to do with WWE being forced to pay Major League Wrestling $20 million as a part of anti-trust lawsuit than anything else, was an upside for TNA, as it opened the door for the previously mentioned AMC deal.

That being said, there's a difference between the opportunity to expand, and getting the pieces of the puzzle in place to be able to truly expand.

The debut on AMC drew a level of criticism for a broadcast that had too many promos and not enough wrestling. In short, despite producing television for years, the current regime still had a difficult time putting a coherent show on the air, especially when did it very little to sell that weekend's Genesis pay-per-view. Reportedly, the show drew 173,000 viewers, and the topic of discussion around it was mostly negative. In truth, despite the bigger platform and more overall depth to the roster, TNA as an entity still seems like its either the minor league where a performer goes in hopes to get noticed elsewhere or the place a veteran can go to wind down their career to make some decent money before they hang up their boots. That's not to say that there's not talent there, but rather to point out that nothing that happens in TNA truly shifts the dynamics of the industry.

True to that notion, the television program during the time since it debut on AMC has been a mixed bag. AJ Francis vs. Rich Swann several weeks ago wasn't exactly "must see" TV, but last week's Nic Nemeth/Leo Slater main event helped the show garner an estimated 249,000 viewers. That means that there has been an increase in viewers since the debut, but the question remains, will any of this translate into something that truly matters in the grand scheme of things?

As with anything else, the barometer for success is ultimately the revenue a venture can generate to yield a profit. The buy rate for the Genesis PPV hasn't been made public, but I bring up the TNA television show, specifically the increase in viewers, to point out that it's crucial for the month of TV left before the next pay-per-view, Rebellion to be effective at selling the show to the AMC audience. Given that Genesis was only two days after the debut episode of Impact on AMC, the success or lack thereof to sell the Rebellion event on AMC is the first realistic determination of if TNA can monetize the platform.

It might sound trivial, but with the horrendous amount of inflation, the continued uncertainty around the economy, and the recent surge in gas prices because of the conflict with Iran, it's going to be exponentially more difficult to get fans to spend money on wrestling, which is a potential problem for any organization, not just TNA. Aside from the absurd ticket prices, there's a reason that Wrestlemania still only has half a house sold about a month before the biggest show of the year. It's something that I've written about before, when essentials become more expensive, entertainment is one of the first things to get cut from the budget, especially when there are several other relatively cheap entertainment options available through the advancement of modern technology. A Netflix subscription still costs less than a $40 TNA pay-per-view.

TNA's Rebellion will be held at the  Wolstein Center in Cleveland the week before Wrestlemania, and with the $30 price tag that it costs for an ESPN subscription, running a PPV the same month as WWE's signature event could also impact the buy rate. In fact, with Rebellion on traditional pay-per-view, it's actually more expensive to watch it than WM this year.

Because of that, I can't expect Rebellion to sell well on PPV. Keep in mind, AEW Dynasty is the day after the TNA show. Again, it might sound trivial, but there's undoubtedly still competition for those PPV dollars, and that's a more difficult sell across the board because of the previously mentioned economic crunch. How long is the conflict in Iran going to last? How much are gas prices going to go up? Are groceries going to stay this expensive? Those are all questions that make it a lot easier for consumers to not to purchase a $40 PPV from the third wrestling company in America.

Again, that's not to say that there isn't talent on the roster. Mike Santana has done tremendously well and proved how much Tony Khan missed the boat on him. Leon Slater is destined for bigger things in his career, probably outside of TNA. Bear Bronson has a major upside to potentially become a star in TNA. A lot of the hurdles for the company are outside the realm of pro wrestling, which is why getting things right on the show is that much more important.

This is where the competition of the industry becomes the focal point. Sure, the working agreement with the WWE helped TNA a lot, but lending the developmental crew of NXT to TNA isn't designed to draw big numbers. If those NXT stars did, they would be on the main roster already. Right now, Impact drew about a third of the typical NXT rating so it's not as though WWE fans will automatically watch the show if NXT stars are there. Mostly importantly, the industry is led by what the WWE does, and to a much lesser extent, what happens in AEW. The dynamics of that were flipped in 2019, but it's a much different business today, especially after the TKO merger. You have to wonder, if there really a place for a third national promotion in the United States? That's not a jab, but rather a question based on the logistics of the modern era. As mentioned prior, there are a slew of entertainment options that have already make it more difficult for pro wrestling to draw numbers. The internet was still minimal during the heyday of the Attitude era and smart phones didn't exist for a decade. Now, every podcast, Youtube video, streaming service, and expanded cable channel takes a portion of viewers. That simply wasn't the case when the WWF and WCW competed for ratings each week. If Anthem Entertainment can make a profit with TNA then it's a successful business venture, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the brand will become a contender in the sports entertainment industry.

The AEW streaming service

We've seen for the past several years, specifically since the WWE launched the original WWE Network in 2014, that the shifting dynamics of new technology have continued to impact the media landscape, both inside and outside of the pro wrestling business.

Every players in the streaming game seems to be chasing this theoretical gold mine, with the notion that traditional television is going to die off, leaving online streaming as the only major form of media consumption left in America. Everyone is looking to get their piece of the pie. Of course, that is misguided since the NFL and cable news still draw massive numbers because the traditional platform is still the easiest way for the widest demographic to access the content. That's not to say that there's not money to be made in the streaming market, Netflix is proof of that, but rather to point out that an entity jumping into the streaming waters won't automatically yield success. In fact, we've seen a slew of streaming platforms come and go in the same span of time since the WWE Network launched. The streaming market is still oversaturated, the handful of mergers, including the Paramount/WBD merger, within just the past few years is a part of the determination of just how many streaming options can be sustained by the market. When it gets to the point that there are so many streaming options that it starts to resemble the cable platform that it aimed to replace, you know that consolidation, in some form or fashion, will be a part of the process of what services will ultimately find the most success.

Speaking of which, Triller, the platform that hosts everything from AEW, TNA, GCW, and a myriad of independent cards, is said to be in financial danger. At the end of last year, Triller was taken off of the Nasdaq stock exchange for failure to submit financial reports. The company was also subject to a few different lawsuits, prompting questions about the amount of cash it had available for its operations. Being unlisted from the stock exchange basically takes away any potential investment from the public, which means that the organization would have to look for private investors at a time when it wouldn't be advisable for anyone to throw more money into the Triller pit. Obviously, Triller needs content to be able to sell to customers, but when they started to take any independent league with a wifi content, it arguably hindered its brand identity. If Triller was specifically touted as the online home of GCW, it could have a specific level of brand awareness and possibly build off of that with select independent groups, or with the addition of something like TNA. However, when you can find the independent show in front of 23 people at Big Bob's car lot, it doesn't make the platform look premiere.

It goes without saying that Triller's days as an entity look to be numbered, and for the groups on the platform that matter, they either already have their own service in place or have the cache to end up elsewhere without much disruption. TNA+ is already more or less the streaming service where fans know to go for their content online, and it might require a few other deals to be put in place for some international markets, but the collapse of Triller will be moot for TNA. Game Changer Wrestling is probably the most successful property that is specifically under the Triller banner, with events almost every weekend, but without them, GCW will probably be wise to transition its shows to their Youtube channel under the membership tier. Granted, the financial details might be different, but the point is, it's a relatively easy and logical switch for the independent group.

In an effort to get ahead of the eventual Triller shutdown, All Elite Wrestling has launched its own streaming service, MyAEW primarily for the international fan base. The service will offer different tiers for customers outside North America for episodes of television, as well as access to the pay-per-views. The US, Mexico, and Canada already have existing exclusive deals in place, mostly HBO Max in America so for now, this app will be designed for overseas fans.

The discussion for an AEW app, particularly to get the pay-per-views to a bulk-pricing model, has been a topic among fans since almost the inception of the organization, but that's a difficult leap to make, especially when the events usually garner around 140,000 buys. Sure, you can argue that their PPV buys are stagnant, as only the most diehard portion of the fan base will spend $50 to order a show, but if the company is consistently making a profit on its pay-per-views, it's tough to take a different path.

This is where the WWE sets the bar for the rest of the industry, at the time that AEW started, the PPV standard was $9.99 a month with access to the extensive video library, but we've seen the resistance from fans to switch back to paying $30 a month for pay-per-views. When the shows were on Peacock for $4.99 a month and in some cases included for Comcast customers, it unintentionally lowered the market value of the events. In some ways, the horse is out of the barn, and the reports of less than stellar ESPN app numbers based on the addition of WWE content explain the reasoning behind it. If AEW gave fans access to pay-per-view for $19.99 a month through the MyAEW app, it would be extremely difficult for the company to sell those shows at $50 again.

All Elite Wrestling is a domestic entity in the United States, but as far as WWE setting the standard for the industry, the TKO corporation shows how important and profitable it is to globalize the product. No, All Elite Wrestling shouldn't try to keep pace with WWE as far as expansion outside of the country, but the point is, there are undoubtedly profitable revenue streams on the table for international markets, especially for the locations that don't get live cards as often as other places in the world. The MyAEW app could be extremely useful to not only expand distribution of the product, but also get a measure of the level of fan demand for more live events in different countries. The United Kingdom generated the biggest house in AEW history with more than 80,000 fans in attendance at Wembley Stadium a few years ago so that's proof of the demand for live wrestling in the European market, particularly after the consolidation of the UK independent scene when the original NXT UK project scooped up almost every independent name on the circuit. With the MyAEW app, Tony Khan could get a gauge on how many fans are willing to pay for the product in Germany, France etc. to be able to determine what cities in the market could host profitable live events.

It wouldn't be the primary focus of the streaming platform, but after the service is put in place and runs smoothly, it will ensure that regardless of what happens, All Elite Wrestling will still have a platform where it can monetize the product in the future. It probably won't be necessary, with the Paramount/Warner Brothers Discovery merger, there was speculation about if AEW's TV deal would be renewed at the end of 2027, given Paramount's media deal with the UFC, which is a part of the TKO corporation. As I wrote about the merger in a prior article, it could mean absolute nothing, as AEW might be seen as just another TV show, and Paramount needs content to put on the Turner networks after the merger. However, at the very least, a well-established streaming platform could be a good safety net for distribution of content if Paramount would opt not to renew the television deal, as it could keep new content available to fans until AEW signed a TV deal with a different network.

What's the status of UFC?

It's not about what you know, it's about who you know.

It certainly pays to have friends in high places. UFC boss, Dana White is a longtime friend and supporter of Trump, who also has long-standing ties with WWE so the TKO umbrella is within the favor of the current administration. With potential merger talks across the current media landscape as the industry continues to evolve through the advancement of technology, it helps to be on the good side of the federal agencies that can approve such transactions.

But, nepotism is nothing new, especially in politics. Who ends up with Warner Brothers properties, or what corporation will look to sell in the future if it can't keep pace with the dynamics of the media business remains to be seen. Still, it never hurts to have that assurance in your back pocket. Right now, it looks like hefty GOP donor and CEO of Paramount, David Ellison will get control of the entire WBD corporation, a move that came after Netflix was outbid by a staggering $110 billion offer from Paramount, a 35% increase from the $82 billion agreement that Netflix had on the table. The Netflix deal would've taken the extensive libraries, the streaming platforms, and the movie studio. It would ensure more content for the global Netflix machine, while the TV networks would remain under the WBD banner as Discovery Global. This would essentially be the corporation's renewed effort to focus specifically on television rather than attempting to compete across the board in the media business. If that would've been successful or reduced their footprint too much is moot, as the Paramount merger will see the company acquire Warner Brother Discovery entirely, including the CNN network. Make no mistake, the Paramount deal is the consolidation of media, not the acquisition of content for a different platform.

Similar to how millions of dollars of political donations bought Linda McMahon two different spots in Trump's cabinet, Ellison more or less made sure that the WBD/Paramount merger will be approved through his political contributions. 

Trump hosted a pair of Wrestlemania events at the now-defunct Trump Plaza in Atlantic City in the late-80s. He used the pro wrestling spectaculars to do the same thing that boxing was designed to do for the entertainment complex, bring travels to the hotel rooms and gamblers to the tables. It didn't hurt that a few decades later that Trump was paid a reported $5 million that he "donated" to the Trump foundation, an organization that was later ordered by a court decision to dissolve due to misuse of funds, for the famous clash with Vince McMahon in 2007. As a result of this indirect  payola, the justice department dropped an investigation into the hush money payments Vince with company funds just a few months after Trump took office for his second term.

Again, it pays to have friends in high places.

So, it makes sense that TKO, which is under the Endeavor banner, wants to keep the orange villain in the White House content, particularly when the Paramount merger gets approved, as it will give the UFC, the MMA league that signed a massive $7.7 billion rights deal with the organization, an even bigger platform when the Turner networks eventually fall under the Paramount umbrella.

One of the ways that the UFC is going to do that is to run a live card at the White House on Trump's birthday. Last weekend, during the UFC 326 broadcast, the line-up was announced, with Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje for the Light Weight championship as the main event, while Alex Pereira, who vacated the 205 LBS title to move up to heavyweight, will square off with Ciryl Gane, to determine the interim champion until Tom Aspinall can recovery from a very serious eye injury that he suffered in a fight against Gane last October. Taking into account that Aspinall noted that multiple surgeries would be needed to repair the injury and no indication of if or when he will be cleared to fight again, it's possible that the winner of the Pereira/Gane bout could eventually be deemed the undisputed heavyweight champion.

As with anything, there's a domino effect when decisions like the Trump birthday event are made, including an effect on Paramount, the network that signed the UFC to the $7.7 billion contract mentioned earlier.

The organization had a slew of situations where titles were vacated in different divisions, prompting the narrative around those divisions to get very murky. It's difficult to make stars when there isn't truly the coronation of a new champion. Islam Makhachev vacated the light weight title so that he could move up to welterweight and was given a title shot for his first fight in the division when he beat  Jack Della Maddalena for the championship this past November. As mentioned, Pereira vacated the light heavyweight belt to move up to fight Gane, who initially fought Aspinall because Jon Jones vacated the heavyweight championship without ever defending it. Topuria/Gaethje is the slug fest to provide the fireworks for the main event, while the heavyweight title showdown will bring a level of gravitas to the event.

With so many moving parts in different divisions, Dana White was going to put the best card that he could in place for his friend's birthday. The issue with that, at least from a macro point of view, is given the preparation needed to train and the potential recovery time for any injuries during fights, the majority of the UFC in terms of star power, is based around the White House card, leaving the rest of the calendar rather sparse. Former Bantamweight champion, Sean O'Malley, and Michael Chandler, both diehard Trump supporters, are scheduled to fight on the under card at the White House. Dana couldn't get Jon Jones on the White House card, which became the subject of controversy when the UFC president claimed during the UFC 326 post-fight press conference that "Bones" Jones wasn't in consideration for the event and went as far as to claim that the former champion is retired. Jones rebutted that on Twitter, claiming that there were negotiations for him to compete in June. Regardless of the actual story, the bottom line is, Jon Jones isn't fighting at the White House. On the flip side, Dana also said that Conor McGregor, who was the subject of a lawsuit and legal trouble in his native country the past few years, could be back to fight at some point in the future. The brash Irishman hasn't fought in almost five years after he suffered a gruesome injury, snapping his leg in a bout against Dustin Poirier in July of 2021.

I'd say it's 50/50 if we see McGregor back in the octagon again, but without him or Jones on the roster, Dana had to piece together a card for his friend's birthday with the best remaining competitors under contract. That will yield a stacked event for Trump, but as I said, the rest of the announced calendar through August doesn't offer much substance or sizzle in terms of anticipation for the fan base. Part of the problem is the abundance of live cards that the company still runs under the Paramount contract, which was also an issue during the ESPN deal. There are simply too many cards that require too many competitors for a main event guy to be available to fight when needed the way that there was years ago.

The sum total of putting as many resources as they are into the White House presentation is that it doesn't help the selling point for Paramount subscriptions or maintain a hype around the brand to maintain subscriptions. Furthermore, and this is a much smaller point since the American public's political allegiance usually only goes as far as when it inconveniences them, it's possible that such a strong association with Trump could sour a portion of the fan base. But, sacrificing the majority of the calendar for a year of a billion dollar contract or a minimal demographic of the audience is still moot in the grand scheme of things. For Paramount, they get to broadcast Trump's birthday event around the same time that they will need government approval for the WBD merger, and we've already seen why it's beneficial for the TKO corporation to be in the favor of the current administration.

Paramount/WDB merger

"You have the illusion of choice" -George Carlin

The late legendary comedian George Carlin, who lived an edgy life, both onstage and off, was well-regarded as a genius performer during his life, and is seen as somewhat of a prophet for the observations that are still true nearly twenty years after he passed away in 2008 at the age of 71.

Carlin would have enough material for another dozen HBO specials if he were around today to verbally KO the thinly-veiled prejudice of most of the GOP, while he put the extreme of the other side in tears when he delicately explained to them that their self-important virtue signaling to be professionally offended isn't some type of brave accomplishment.

One of the many reasons that George's philosophies have endured long after his death is that he didn't put a slate on things, he made an balanced observation and then cited the nonsense of it all.

His remark about choice was based on the fact that there's a reason that there are two political parties, which can have a profound impact on society, while you can go Baskin Robbins to decide on 32 flavors of ice cream. His prose and performance on the circus of American society extended beyond the ballot box, as he warned of the consolidation of media, insurance, and oil companies as well.

It's somewhat similar to the message in Roddy Piper's cult classic, They Live, where the public should continue to consume and spend their money, while a select few in power make the decisions that really matter. Does anyone have any bubblegum?

Of course, when the topics of war, (remember those files?) cost of living, and critical rights of citizens are on the table, something based in entertainment like the professional wrestling business is rather moot in the grand scheme of things.

Despite that, the much bigger decisions that are made with much bigger motives than the prospects of a sports entertainment show can still have an eventual impact on the grappling arts. Just three years after Warner Brothers and Discovery merged, a move that would theoretically make the two entities a stronger force combined in the evolving media landscape rather than competing against each other for the same market share, headlines were made earlier this year when it was reported that WBD was looking to sell completely, with a slew of potential buyers. A few months ago, it was announced that Netflix would purchase specific assets of the WBD group, as far as the libraries and streaming platforms, which would include HBO Max. In short, this purchase would've given Netflix the rights to the extensive Warner Brother library, as well as the numerous HBO series, such as The Sopranos, The Wire, etc. Furthermore, it would also be the purchase of the movie studios, allowing Netflix to produce more original content as well. Even that deal implied that WBD as an entity was on shaky ground since they would've relinquished the rights to commodities that they theoretically could've monetized until the end of time, in favor of a cash infusion for the remaining television networks that were slated to be under the new umbrella of Discovery Global. Basically, this would've taken them away from the streaming business to focus on what's left of the traditional television platform, which might've been the best option for them in terms of survival, but certainly indicated that they weren't a flourishing corporation.

The problem with downsizing, at least in the short term, is that it would've reduced their footprint on the media business significantly, which would've made them more vulnerable to being surpassed by other networks. Without the movie studio, the corporation wouldn't have the ability to lean on a potential box office hit to cover if other divisions of the organizations were sluggish in terms of numbers. Sure, CNN would've remained a tent pole, as cable news is one of the biggest draws that keep traditional television as a strong platform, but what content would the other channels have on their schedule? Keep in mind, part of the reason that Netflix was going to pay a staggering $82 billion for WBD Studios was to get access to classics like The Wizard of Oz, the Harry Potter franchise, and a portion of the superhero films so what content would be left for networks like TBS and TNT? Let's not forget, those are valuable intellectual properties to own the rights to as far as future projects, which would be revenue streams that wouldn't be available to the Discovery Global group.

If the Global Discovery networks would've floundered outside of CNN, it might've been only a matter of time until they are forced to sell entirely to another media conglomerate.

A few weeks ago, Paramount, one of the original bidders for WBD at the end of last year, made a shocking counteroffer to snatch the deal away from Netflix, with a massive $110 billion bid, an almost 35% hike from what Netflix offered. After Netflix declined to match or exceed the number, it was officially announced that Paramount would buy the entire WBD organization, including the cable channels.

As with almost everything these days, there's a political spin on this story and the domino effect that it might have, particularly on the pro wrestling business.

David Ellison, the CEO of Paramount, is a close friend and hefty donor to Donald Trump. Ellison's father, Larry was a software kingpin as far back as the 1970s and is currently listed as one of the top 10 richest people in the world, according to Forbes. Larry Ellison is also a longtime friend of Trump. David Ellison was a producer of several films, a handful of them gaining major success, through his Skydance Media company, a venture that was originally financed by his father. Since CBS is under the Paramount umbrella, the second generation Ellison made news recently when it was reported that a scheduled 60 Minutes story that was going to be critical of Trump was cancelled. Along those lines, there are concerns about not only the massive layoffs that usually happen with staff during mergers, but also the impact that Ellison ownership of CNN, a network often anti-Trump, will have on the news channel. As with anything else, the more consolidation of any industry will yield less options for consumers.

Obviously, on the surface, there will be anti-trust concerns, particularly with so much media and market share under the same banner, but as a substantial donor to the Republican party, Ellison will get the approval for the merger from the current administration.

How this will impact the mainstream news coverage in the country is the bigger story, but what about the media properties themselves?

Of course, this clears the way for the UFC, the TKO property that just inked a massive rights deal with Paramount last year, to have an expanded platform, giving Paramount the chance to generate more ad revenue from its partnership with the MMA league. Remember, UFC boss, Dana White is also a long-time supporter of Trump and the company will run an event on his birthday at the White House in June. It goes without saying that WWE as a corporate entity is in Trump's favor as well, which is why the Justice Department dropped its investigation into Vince McMahon after the orange villain took office for his second term.

From strictly a pro wrestling prospective, could this potentially have an impact on AEW's television deal with the Turner networks?

It remains to be see what, if any, impact the merger will have on All Elite Wrestling, but it was recently confirmed that Warner Brothers Discovery owns a 9% interest in the company. It goes without saying that if Ellison eventually opts to part ways with the pro wrestling organization that the Khan family that is worth billions of dollars will simply buy that portion of ownership from Paramount, but as of right now, what does this mean for All Elite?

The nepotism in every facet of American society isn't anything new, but if a friend of Trump owns the networks that airs a competitive brand to WWE, another friend of Trump, is it possible that it could filter down to have an effect on the decision made to re-sign AEW?

As of right now, the current All Elite TV deal runs through 2027, with the option for a fourth year. It's possible that this could go a few different ways. The simple, albeit less provocative path would be that AEW continues its partnership with the Turner networks without interruption. As mentioned, pro wrestling is small potatoes in terms of the scope of what this deal could mean in the grand scheme of things. Despite the decline in numbers in recent years, Dynamite still draws relatively consistent ratings, a major positive in the television industry so the pro wrestling shows are kept in place because they are under the radar enough that it's not truly important enough for any of the Paramount suites to notice otherwise. On the other hand, it's possible that maybe the TKO corporation that Paramount has billions of dollars invested in through the previously mentioned UFC deal, would prefer that the conglomerate doesn't re-sign a potential competitor to the WWE, another TKO property, to a new television deal after the current contract expires in 2027. If that hypothetically took place, AEW would probably land somewhere else, but a smaller network means a smaller market share, and that means the organization would be a smaller force in the industry. The trickle down effect of that would be that the WWE would only strengthen its dominance of the business, translating to less options for both the talent and the fans. All Elite's television deal and thus distribution of the product is stable until at least the end of next year, but with how fast the media business is changing, including the takeover from Paramount in the span of roughly two months, it's very possible that this merger could have an impact on AEW in the future.

Road Dogg quits WWE

Is there trouble in TKO paradise?

Yesterday, social media was flooded with the news that BG James, the former Road Dogg from the Attitude era heyday, was fired from his position on the WWE creative team. A few hours later, Mike Johnson, the most accurate reporter of the pro wrestling business, provided clarification that James, who was brought back to the company in 2014 and had a slew of different roles behind the scenes during that time, had actually resigned for the promotion, citing frustration with the creative direction of the product.

Usually, I'd take anything reported about the sports entertainment industry on the internet with a grain of salt, but if Mike Johnson says it, it's probably true. Since there are dozens of writers on the creative team, it's doubtful that Road Dogg would individually get the axe since that move itself wouldn't truly shakeup the creative direction of the WWE brand.

That's one of the reasons that I put a level of credibility in the notion that he probably quit the job as opposed to being released.

If that was the case, it provides some intriguing insight into the backstage environment of the WWE machine, which has been the subject of rumors surrounding the sluggish ticket sales for this year's Wrestlemania in Las Vegas.

It's important to note that a position on the WWE creative team, especially for an accomplished in-ring performer, can be a good spot, in terms of job security. Even founding Freebird, Michael Hayes has managed to keep a job for a few decades as a part of the scripting process. Road Dogg was away from the company for several years and didn't speak kindly of management at a time when he was dealing with substance issues. Thankfully, Brain James cleaned up his life and landed in the previously mentioned role of the booking team, a position that many probably wouldn't of guessed when he lashed out at the company years earlier.

Still, for Road Dogg to throw in the towel on the creative process more or less signifies that there might actually be some chaos around the current status of the organization because of the lackluster WM 42 sales. As I've said before, there are peaks and valleys to everything, and given that the fans already saw the peak of the current era with the championship coronation of Cody Rhodes two years ago, it might be something as simple as a natural dip in momentum more than a flaw in the creative process. Also as I wrote prior, the fact of the matter is that the astronomical ticket prices for this year's Wrestlemania are just too expensive for most of the fan base to realistically afford. When the cheapest ticket in the building is $350, bringing the total cost for the two-night event to over $700 just to get into the venue, a significant portion of the WWE demographic is priced out of attending the show. Furthermore, it doesn't help the selling point for the traveling crowd when the pay-per-view is in Las Vegas for the second year in a row because they already had a chance to see the city if they attended the PPV last year.

However, it makes you wonder, what might've been the point of contention, if any, that led to this resignation?

Outside of Cody, we've seen WWE brass, specifically during the latter years of Vince McMahon's tenure, cater to the part-time former stars, which took away opportunities for younger talent to be moved up into the positions as potentially money-drawing stars. Vince often took the less risky, but very stagnant approach of automatically yielding to Brock Lesnar, Bill Goldberg, or the original baby face super push of Roman Reigns that flopped. Keep in mind, we saw the Roman/Brock match-up numerous times on pay-per-view, including three Wrestlemania main events, in a relatively short period of time. Brock and Roman are big stars, but they aren't on the same level of Austin/Rock or Undertaker/Michaels for there to be a demand for multiple WM main events.

There are key periods of time when a talent is at their peak in terms of popularity and that's the point when to run with them to make them the biggest star possible. If the office missed that peak, or fumbles their popularity, it becomes a missed opportunity. Let's be honest, there was a reason that there was a demand for an alternative when All Elite Wrestling was launched in 2019 because the fan base had become disenfranchised with the Vince McMahon approach to sports entertainment. Speaking of 2019, there was a point that Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff were added as the head writers of Raw and Smackdown respectively. Heyman was well-known to assist in the direction of the talent that he worked with anyway, and Bischoff was brought back to the organization to provide something new to the blue brand. Obviously, this was done to appease the shareholders after there was a noticeable amount of criticism toward the direction of the product. Of course, it was lip service, as Vince still made all the decisions, and the entire process was nothing more than an artificial way for the corporation to give the impression that it brought back two of the creative forces of the boom period of the late-90s. Bischoff lasted about four months until he was sent home, and Heyman went back to working solely with the talent that he was booked with on-screen.

There wasn't an attempt to truly change the creative process, and the former WCW boss probably didn't get a fair shake. The point being, the clash of ideology isn't anything new for the creative process of pro wrestling, but when someone walks away from the table, it implies that they've hit a brick wall in terms of what they can advocate for as far as the direction of television. Since he quit, you'd have to assume that Road Dogg wanted to take a different path than the road that the shows are on right now, which have garnered a lukewarm WM build at best.

CM Punk is a major star, but almost 50, Roman Reigns held the championship for four years, and the Drew McIntyre/Cody Rhodes match has already happened a handful of times. What is new or fresh ahead of Wrestlemania 42? Sure, Bron Breakker got hurt, but he wasn't in the plans for a main event spot, even if he should've been. Jacob Fatu is money, but as of this writing, he's not anywhere near a potential main even spot.

It's easy to see why someone could be frustrated trying to spin all the plates in an attempt to serve all the master of the publicly-traded corporation.

Reportedly, Road Dogg suffered a heart attack in 2021 so this might be a situation where the stress of the job isn't worth the impact on his health. His real-life brother, the superb and extremely underrated, Brad Armstrong died of a heart attack at the age of 50 in 2012. Considering that BG James is 56, it would be a lot easier to work the convention circuit to sign autographs or work as a backstage producer for AEW than have to script the countless hours of WWE TV each week.

Finlay signed for AEW

Just a week and a half before All Elite Wrestling's next pay-per-view, Revolution, there was yet another debut for the promotion on this week's episode of Dynamite. David Finlay, who recently announced his exit from New Japan Pro Wrestling, made a surprise appearance on TBS, and it was confirmed soon afterwards on social media that he was a part of the company, along with Clark Connors and Gabe Kidd.

The son of the legendary Fit, David Finlay broke into the business shortly before he joined New Japan as a young lion more than a decade ago when he was in his early-20s. The Japanese audience saw the third generation grappler grow up in the sport, as he worked his way up from the preliminary bouts to one of the featured stars on the roster as the leader of the final version of The Bullet Club faction. Finlay wasn't a main event guy for the Japanese league, but he was a very solid performer that added depth to the roster, particularly when the line-up became rather thin with so many exits in recent years, as Tony Khan signed away almost every top star from New Japan in an effort to bolster his already bloated roster. Considering some of the other recent departures from the company, including Evil, Bushi, Hiromu Takahashi. the previously mentioned Clark Connors, and others, it's possible that there would've been an opportunities for Finlay to move up the ranks.

Still, taking into account that he was there for over a decade, it also made sense for him to move on to a bigger stage for presumably bigger money.

I have to be honest, when I heard that Finlay was leaving New Japan a few weeks ago, I assumed that he would land in WWE, not only because of his dad's role in their developmental system, but also because of the expanded opportunities in the organization, particularly under Triple H's direction. In that regard, it's uncharted territory, specifically with the purchase of AAA last year. Management knows that it's an uphill climb in some respects to truly be able to incorporate a WWE-owned product into the fabric of lucha libre, especially with the longstanding traditions of the sport in the native country. Of course, it could be a tremendous business move if TKO is able to fully expand into Mexico because it would monetize one of the stronghold regions of pro wrestling in the world. Hispanic fans will go to the WWE event once or twice a year to see the spectacle of the global corporation, but lucha libre was built with weekly cards based on the live event experience. It's not nearly as easy as slapping the WWE and AAA logos onto the same canvas for the Latino demographic to accept it as their brand of lucha libre. Because of that, and obviously the valuable revenue stream that is on the table, the WWE office knows that they need to recruit, develop, and promote talent in all facets to give the product the best chance to get off the ground on a long-term basis.

The reason that I mention this is that it adds a completely new aspect to the free agency market. A possible contract offer doesn't have to be based on solely if a performer will excel on the main roster. They might be slotted to be an addition to AAA to add more depth to that project. If the money is right, and we know that TKO has the ability to offer basically any amount of money to prompt a talent to sign a deal, it would often be moot if the plans call for them to work in Mexico or the main roster. It goes without saying that being promoted by the WWE machine can make a career, and the ability to make the most money possible is the entire point of the business.

At the same time, it's understandable that different wrestlers will have different goals at different points of their careers. At 32, David Finlay is in a position to try to make the most of his tenure in pro wrestling, as he's in the prime of his career and has the experience under his belt to make the most of the opportunities that he's given. The rumor mill suggests that Finlay was offered a WWE contract to compete on NXT, but he declined it because he didn't want to work the developmental brand, which led to him taking the AEW deal. I can actually understand both sides of this, and it appears to be a case of two different concepts of what Finlay could be in the organization in 2026. In a sense, Finlay already logged his time in the developmental ranks when he worked his way up through New Japan for the past 10 years so to start on the WWE developmental brand might seem like running in place in terms of his individual career path. From the WWE side of things, they just called up a slew of talent to the main roster so they will have to replenish the NXT show. As I've written before, I get why NXT is dubbed the minor league project before a talent hits the main roster, but when it started on national television on the CW, it wasn't truly a developmental brand anymore. When a novice's mistakes can be exposed on national TV, it's not a part of the developmental process, which is why Evolve was created with much less exposure. I bring up the status of NXT as essentially a third, albeit smaller brand of the WWE television line-up because with the platform that it has on the CW, the show still needs its seasoned workers to be the "glue" of the product.

The recruitment of Finlay might've been as simple as NXT needs a solid in-ring worker and then the office can see how he progresses with the WWE playbook. Clearly, Finlay had different aspirations for his career, and given his age, he probably should. One of the few criticisms that I've written about of the NXT brand for several years is that certain talent have spent several years of their prime on the smaller platform when they are more than talented enough to work on the main roster. The time that they have to wait for a spot on the main roster to open up is still time that they could theoretically be made into bigger stars if given the chance. We've seen some former AEW stars might the jump directly to the main roster so maybe Finlay would prefer a debut on Smackdown in a few years compared to working on the developmental brand for an undetermined amount of time since there are so many moving parts to the WWE machine.

It's also well-known that Tony Khan offers hefty cash to those that he wants to add to the roster so maybe it was something as simple as Khan offered an amount of money that Finlay couldn't say no to? Again, if that's the case, you can't blame him since making the most money possible is the name of the game.

That being said, as far as a career trajectory, I'm not sure that AEW will be that much different than NXT, at least in terms of exposure. Sure, the War Dogs faction got the artificial pop for their debut, but we've seen this type of scenario countless times before, someone will be featured on television for a few weeks before they end up lost in the shuffle like 85% of the roster. Where's Juice Robinson? It's well-known that Tony Khan is a fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling, but aside from the Continental Classic proving that he can't just copy and paste a Japanese concept to American television, it was also proven that Tony can't just book the New Japan roster to show up on TBS with the expectation that it will mean anything to the national audience. That's not to take anything away from Finlay's skills, but rather to point out that the lack of exposure is the key piece of the puzzle. Is David Finlay truly a big enough star that the national television audience will have any idea who he is? He's a very talented performer, but we're not talking about in-ring skills, this is as basic as will he be put in the best position to be successful when he's booked to show up on Dynamite without any introduction?

As mentioned, Finlay probably did everything he could in New Japan unless they were going to move him up to the main event scene, and there wasn't any indication of that so it made sense for him to go elsewhere. That being said, this formation of the War Dogs stable in AEW, implying that Gabe Kidd is now a part of the organization full-time is probably more of a hindrance to New Japan than anything else. Gabe Kidd looked to be one of the workers that the Japanese league was steadily moving up the ranks to replace some of the talent that left, which is why he competed against Kenny Omega in a stellar match a few years ago. The biggest takeaway from all of this might extend beyond an individual talent or a faction. Taking into account the overall lack of results in terms of moving the needle outside of Will Ospreay the argument could be made that Tony signing so many top stars from New Japan has negatively impacted the Japanese league exponentially more than it has benefited AEW.

Danhausen debuts for WWE

Usually, when I hear the man in the box, it conjures up images of Tommy Dreamer landing his trademark DDT and then posing with his arms outstretched. It might've violated every copyright law in the book at the time, but it can't be understated how impactful it was that ECW used "real" music as opposed to in-house productions, if for no other reason that it was another way that the promotion set itself a part from the major leagues of WCW and the WWF that had the multi-million dollar budget to produce its own music.

Speaking of the man in the box, there was famously the notion that was attributed to Jim Cornette that "anyone that comes out of a box is over," and to some extent, that's true. Abdullah showing up in WCW to attack Sting, and Terry Funk cutting his way out of a crate with a chainsaw are examples of when it worked. Let's not talk about the Gobbledy Gooker.

Unfortunately, the crate reveal at this past weekend's Elimination Chamber pay-per-view was quite literally a dud, with lackluster pyro that had less boom to it than what you can purchase at a gas station for the fourth of July, and virtually no ballyhoo as it was panned with a chorus of boos from the live crowd in Chicago.

Obviously, one of the keys to these types of segments working, specifically when there's any mystery involved at all, is that the reveal has to live up to the hype. At one point, there was speculation that this could be the return to the company of Chris Jericho after more than eight years away from the WWE. When he didn't appear at the Royal Rumble, it added to that speculation that he would show up at the Elimination Chamber PPV with enough time to still be involved in this year's Wrestlemania. There were longstanding rumors that Y2J was on his way out of All Elite Wrestling when his contract expired at the end of 2025, mostly because he hadn't been seen in the organization for the majority of the year, which is a common trend for Tony Khan, as far as keeping talent off television when they plan to exit AEW. More recently, there were reports that Jericho's contract might've been frozen when he left for a few months at a time to tour with Fozzy so the actual status of his AEW deal remains unclear.

I was skeptical that Jericho would be the reveal in the crate because that in itself wouldn't automatically be impactful or something that gave him a firm purpose for what would probably be his final run in the company. It was more or less confirmed that it wouldn't be Jericho, but rather another AEW alumni when Wade Barrett made jokes about it as a reference to The Christmas Story film that usually runs for 24 hours on Christmas eve on TBS, the same network that airs Dynamite.

Danhausen, the cult favorite from the independent circuit, arrived with generic Scooby Doo-type music, and as mentioned, less pyro than most people blast off in their driveway on holidays. To add to the confusing mess, there were about a dozen Hausen dances, with no explanation or point to any of it. Danhausen gave Michael Cole his trademark jar of teeth at the announce desk before he ended up in the ring to finish the rest of a tacky dance routine that looked like something from the Gong Show in the 70s.

Management put Danhausen in an absolute no-win situation, as the scripting of the segment didn't include anything that got the character over originally, and put him out there for roughly two minutes without any purpose.

It wasn't a coincidence that Danhausen made his debut in Chicago, a more savvy crowd than most WWE audiences, but it's important to keep the scenario in context, he hasn't been on television in almost two and a half years. In many respects, it's a credit to his talent to be able to remain relevant on the independent scene throughout that time, particularly to a level that would still garner him a WWE contract. However, there was no reason, even in Chicago, to believe that the WWE audience would be familiar with Danhausen, and the reaction or lack thereof reflected that,

Danhausen is solid in the ring, but even the real-life performer behind the persona would acknowledge that the character and promos are what propelled his popularity. Putting Danhausen out there without the chance to cut a promo did him a disservice, which is why his 30-second cameo on Raw was exponentially more effective than the flop of a segment on pay-per-view.

Don't get me wrong, a lot of the goofy stuff in wrestling today makes me shake my head, as far too many wrestlers assume that they can get wacky stuff over, and it becomes lame attempts at comedy, but there are rare situations where if it works, it works. For example, the majority of Matt Hardy stuff, specifically cinematic matches are too far outside of the realm of pro wrestling for me. I don't enjoy cinematic wrestling at all because it's a total lack of logic to the parameters of the sport. However, there's no doubt that the "broken" character was over and became a cult favorite that endured over time.

Obviously, some of Danhausen's act was inside baseball by design when he was on the indies, and he will have to tailor it to the WWE audience, but I honestly think that he will be able to translate the character to the bigger stage of WWE. Some of what he did previously was a niche of a niche, but based on his interaction with Adam Pearce on Raw, asking for a blimp or wondering where Steve Austin was, is something that can get over with the more causal audience.

While I don't see Danhausen being a regular performer on Raw or Smackdown, that might not be the goal when he was signed to a contract. Again, he wasn't on television for over two years, but has consistently moved merchandise, including a series of independently-produced action figures, on his own without the promotional push of a national organization. With the distribution ability of WWE Shop, there's no reason that he won't become a top merchandise seller for the company, similar to when Mr. Iguana t-shirts sold well after he arrived under the WWE umbrella. Speaking of AAA, there might not be a regular role for Danhausen in the ring on the main roster, but the character could work very well for live events in Mexico since the persona could fit for AAA.

There's only one chance at a first impression, and there's no doubt that the Elimination Chamber segment didn't get over, but similar to Danhausen being one of the rare example of "if it works, it works," he has the ability to overcome the negativity around the debut. It's as simple as let Danhausen be Danhausen and he will become one of the most entertaining acts on the roster, and someone that will probably have a job for years. In the grand scheme of things, he wasn't hired for five star classics at Wrestlemania or the Tokyo Dome, he's an entertaining guy that the WWE can use on social media, which becomes increasingly more valuable as TKO continues to globalize the product. Furthermore, and while this is a relatively low bar since he was kept off of television for more than two years, the odds are that Danhausen will be yet another example of someone that will be an exponentially bigger star in WWE after they were under an AEW contract for years. 

Elimination Chamber review

The rocky road to Wrestlemania continued with Elimination Chamber, the pay-per-view designed to determine the other half of the marquee title matches at the event in less than two months in Las Vegas. As we saw with Survivor Series and The Royal Rumble, this was another PPV card with just four matches on the line-up. I have to be honest, I really don't understand the logic behind why management seems to be slowly but surely adjusting the presentation of these PPVs to ultimately give fans, both in attendance and those that pay $30 for a subscription fee, essentially less for their money. More than anything, and I think even the smaller sample size of shows with such an abbreviated card are proof of this, it's more or less impossible to truly structure or pace a card properly when there are only four bouts on the broadcast. Within the modern era, we've seen the absurd amount of commercials and delays between matches become a normal expectation of the WWE PPV presentation, but it also becomes an exponentially more tedious viewing experience when there are only a few matches on the show. Less wrestling translates to more ads, and maybe that's ultimately the reason why the office doesn't book full cards for most of the PPVs now, but there's no doubt that it affects the overall quality of the show, specifically when someone watches live without the ability to fast forward through the WWE commercials and still has to sit through the ESPN ads for the app. Thankfully, this show finished up at the three-hour mark as opposed to an event that would've went another hour since that has happened in the past.

As expected, just like the Royal Rumble, the show was going to open and close with the Elimination Chamber matches, which makes sense, especially with only four contests booked since it would be a hindrance to the presentation if there were two gimmick matches in a row. The women's chamber match was solid, the action was a little too choreographed at certain points, but that's almost unavoidable with matches like this. In fact, the women's chamber match last year was horrendous since it went off the rails and couldn't get back on track so this was a much better approach. Tiffany Stratton and Kiana James started the match with some good sequences, and Tiffany took some brutal bumps into the pods of the chamber during the segment. This was structured well, and Raquel Rodriguez was made to look strong as a featured performer in the contest. More specifically, Rodriguez seems to be improving in her ability to "work big," which was a critique of her performances from Kevin Nash on her podcast a few months ago, and it appears to be solid advice as her in-ring work reflects her height and power more than it did previously. The dive from the top of a pod by Alexa Bliss was impressive, and the Rhea Ripley spot from the top of the pod was a memorable moment as well. Asuka continues to be an MVP and can shine in any role that she's given. There's no doubt that Asuka has already had a Hall of Fame career between her work in Japan and her WWE run. Ripley getting the victory to set up a WM match with Jade Cargill was probably the right decision since she still maintains a lot of popularity. However, everyone in this segment worked well and it's yet another example of the consistent quality of the division.

The Women's Intercontinental title was fine for what it was, but the match was rather bland without any peaks or valleys that truly built any drama. That's despite the ref bump, a visual submission to imply that Becky Lynch would retain the belt, and a chair being brought into the ring. The whole presentation was clunky, which probably took the crowd out of it. That being said, the was a massive reaction for AJ Lee's victory so that's what will be remembered from this segment. There's nothing wrong with that, if you can pop the crowd for the finish then in some ways, it's mission accomplished, but if this was a test run for a rematch at Wrestlemania then it might be a rough day at the office in Las Vegas. AJ Lee hadn't worked a singles match in more than a decade, twice as long as the original WWE tenure, so it's understandable that there would be a level of ring rust. Becky is a bonafide star, but her in-ring performances have lacked since her most recent comeback. This segment went 15 minutes and became rather tedious so hopefully, WM 42 will be a smoother presentation if a rematch is actually booked. 

CM Punk vs. Finn Balor was what you'd expect from this segment, these are two polished pros that were going to have a very solid match up based on their skill set, as well as their valuable years of experience. That being said, it seemed like this was booked specifically because of the stellar match that they had on Raw a few weeks ago, and while it makes sense in theory to book the rematch on a bigger platform of pay-per-view, the fact that it happened not long after the original bout, as well as the CM Punk/Roman Reigns promo to cement their match for WM 42, it was completely obvious that Finn wasn't going to win the title. That's not to say that he should've won, even if he definitely should've had better opportunities over the past decade in the company, but rather to point out that the money match based on their history is Roman/Punk so there wasn't necessarily a level of drama that could realistically be built here since it was clear that a title switch wasn't going to happen. Still, they did their best to try to sell the possibility, using the outside of the ring to add some sizzle to the segment. Punk retained with the GTS, and while this might not have been quite as good as their bout on Raw, it was still a very entertaining match. More than just giving Punk an opponent, this type of quality performance is what Punk needed ahead of Wrestlemania 42 to allow for anticipation to build for his main event match against Reigns.

I plan to write a column specifically about Danhausen's disastrous WWE debut, but a few of the broad points to be made here, the office put him in more or less the most difficult position possible to be success on his first night in the company. Yes, I understand that Chicago is known for being a more savvy crowd, there's a reason that it was an AEW stronghold during the company's early existence, but it's important to keep this in the proper context, the guy hasn't worked a match on national television in almost two and a half years. He was completely forgotten about among the All Elite landscape, and has somehow kept himself relevant enough to pick up work on the indys, but there was absolutely no reason to expect a WWE audience, even in Chicago to be familiar with him, and the reaction or lack thereof reflected that. Furthermore, Danhausen is a good athlete in the ring, but I'd guess that even he would acknowledge that he got over with his character, not his in-ring work. Putting him on-screen for two minutes without a mic, a purpose, or a point didn't do him any favors. That said, I think Danhausen will still be very successful in the WWE, specifically with merchandise after he gets a proper change to introduce himself to the fan base.

The men's Elimination Chamber match was fun, particularly because it took a different path than many were expecting and built drama to get there. Cody Rhodes and Je'Von Evans had a good sequence of maneuvers to start the bout, which wasn't a coincidence that the youngster was made to look competitive against the established main eventer. We've heard that Bronson Reed was originally scheduled to win the qualifying match on Raw to be in the Elimination Chamber, and when Logan Paul eventually settled into that spot, it seems like the office simply put Logan in the Bronson role, with the amount of eliminations he had, which I'm guessing was to settle up for Seth Rollins to return to derail The Vision stable. As I wrote earlier this week, given what pieces of the puzzle are left, it makes sense for their to be a Rollins/Paul bout at Wrestlemania. The chaos of the masked man trying to get involved, the Rollins reveal, and the Drew McIntyre interference to cause Cody to get pinned was entertaining stuff. On one hand, I'm somewhat surprised that management is going to play the Orton card again at WM, as it was booked several times before with mixed results, but on the other hand, I can understand why they didn't want to go with the obvious result of Cody winning. That being said, I think the scenario is moot since I'd guess that Rhodes will eventually be added to the WM main event anyway.

Overall, the Elimination Chamber was a good way to progress the overall narrative of the company toward WM, a notion that was needed, especially with the sluggish ticket sales with only half a house sold for  Allegiant Stadium so far. It will be interesting to see not only the path that the current storylines take, but also what will be modified or changed based on if tickets move for Las Vegas before April.