McAfee turns heel

I wrote an article earlier this week, asking if the Cody Rhodes/Stephanie McMahon segment on Raw was potentially a way to test the waters to open the door to an eventual return to the company of Vince McMahon after there were implied references to him in the promo. Given the latest filing of the Janel Grant lawsuit a few days later, that might be doubtful since her legal team added more evidence to support the argument that the case should go to a jury trial. Among the latest claims, Grant said that CEO, Nick Khan knew about her relationship with McMahon, and there were more distributing details filed about Brock Lesnar's alleged involvement. So, at least at this point, TKO brass might be hesitant to bring the former boss back into the fold as it might put an extra spotlight on the latest accusations.

Still, after last night's episode of Smackdown, you'd have to wonder if Vince had some type of influence on the product, because I hadn't seen booking quite that unproductive since the last time he was in charge.

For years, the emperor of sports entertainment landed a lot more often than he missed, which is how he built his dad's territorial promotion in a global, publicly-traded corporation. That simply wasn't the case in his latter tenure as the head of the company. Storylines were disjointed and changed direction often so the audience couldn't truly get behind any specific narrative. If an angle didn't propel immediately, McMahon would default to old troupes that were cliche and stale.

Vince is gone, but his philosophy, at least recently with the sluggish ticket sales for Wrestlemania that put the number of seats sold at a 30% decline compared to last year in the same building, has been seen on WWE programming as the overall direction shifted just two weeks before the event. Also earlier this week, I covered the notion that the office enlisted the help of John Cena as the host of the event a mere four months after he retired to try to spark some extra interest in the show. As I wrote previously, much like the angle booked on Smackdown, the efforts to spur ticket sales were too little too late. Cena at the event, or the few different discounts on tickets were used way too late in the game to make a difference since the traveling fans would've had to realistically make those plans much earlier than weeks before the opening bell.

The angle on the opening segment of Smackdown was more proof that the company is grasping at straws to draw some type of interest for live attendance.

A few weeks ago, when Randy Orton took a mystery phone call, it was designed to create some intrude ahead of the WM 42 main event, which makes sense, as the organization still has to sell the $30 ESPN subscription aside from the live event tickets. Of course, the payoff for any situation like this is key, and part of the problem with the mystery aspect is that it has to live up to the hype or it's unproductive. Was it Chris Jericho? Was it Bob Orton? Was it Vince McMahon? It was advertised ahead of time that Orton would reveal the caller on this week's episode of Smackdown so it's clear that management wanted to get eyes on this segment.

When Pat McAfee hit the ring, it took a second to realize who it was, and he hit Cody Rhodes with a low blow to align himself with Orton. I have to be honest, while McAfee is a great guy by all accounts, this was completely underwhelming. Granted, his announcing style isn't my cup of tea, but I can understand why he's there and that he has a following from a specific demographic. That said, the less than part-time announcer turning heel adds nothing to the storyline and doesn't carry much weight in the grand scheme of things. The WWE championship, theoretically the top prize in the company with more than 50 years of lineage, not to mention the top position in the organization, is on the line. But man, things must be getting serious now, Pat McAFee is involved. After the segment aired, the former NFL kicker posted on social media that if Orton loses at WM, he won't appear on WWE programming again. Considering that McAfee is understandably already not on the WWE shows because of much more lucrative gigs for ESPN, why does it matter if his involvement in WWE is at stake for the WM match?

I asked recently if WWE brass devalued Cody Rhodes with the path that was booked for him to get to WM 42, but regardless of if the set up hindered his status or not, this segment certainly swept the rug out from under him. Essentially, McAfee buried the current product, which isn't exactly the best way to sell that same product to the audience. McAfee basically blamed Cody for the rather underwhelming content of the broadcasts, citing the low ratings from the previous week. If this was designed to be some type of reverse psychology, it definitely didn't work. The four-hour pay-per-views with only four matches might be the much bigger issue than what any individual performer does on the PPVs. Along the same lines, the fact that the costs involved with following the product have increased across the board, while the shows have delivered less actual content has a lot to do with why the current product is so bland. In many respects, the shows leave the impression that they are on autopilot, which is very similar to the presentation the product had for a few years prior to the launch of AEW. The company is very secure with their media rights deals so it's easy to put the product on cruise control so to speak and collect the cash.

From a corporate perspective, the status quo is mission accomplished because those massive media rights deals, as well as the Saudi agreement, are guaranteed money. The stability and ensured revenue in the future sre exactly what investors look for when they buy stock on Wall Street. Sure, it makes the shareholders overjoyed with the guaranteed return on investment, but for the fan base, the status quo often translates to stale or cliche programming.

Ironically, years ago when the product was the subject of the same type of criticism, Baron Corbin, who was an authority figure on Raw at the time, was blamed for the subpar shows. The bottom line is, it's never a good thing to bury the current product on your own show because it's basically telling the fans that they are foolish for paying to watch it.

As I said, McAfee's announcing style is too over-the-top for me, but the reason that he garnered a following within the WWE fan base was that his enthusiasm was authentic and organic. The guy had the time of his life in WWE and the fans could appreciate it. On the other end of the spectrum, the heel turn was more or less the opposite of that, as he sounded as though he was playing the "bad guy" with a very forced and phony portrayal. More specifically, McAfee cited the attitude era fans, as if Orton is going to serve a starving demographic from more than 25 years ago. As I wrote in an article last week to cover the quarter century mark of when Vince bought WCW for pennies on the dollar, the vast majority of the Attitude era was very much of a time and place, which is why it doesn't hold up in hindsight. It's understandable why some fans look back on the Monday night war with rose-colored glasses because the main event scene was so strong, but there's a significant portion of the product that was absolute drek, especially in retrospect.

The reference to the Attitude is top-tier desperate because nothing reinforces the notion that the current product is underwhelming than using "the glory days" to try to sell a current show.

Aside from the fact that most of the Attitude era doesn't hold up if it's viewed today, framing Randy Orton as the guy to bring it back was is just silly. Orton debuted in the WWE after WCW already closed. Furthermore, and this might be the biggest point from this particular portion of the promo, catering to the supposed Attitude era demographic is a lost cause. Only a fraction of those fans still follow the product today. The rest of that audience either followed the next trend after pro wrestling exited the pop culture conversation, stopped watching after WCW folded, or only vaguely follow anything from the business today. At the peak of the Attitude era, there were roughly 10 million viewers of pro wrestling on any given Monday. Now, that number is closer to two million fans so the target audience is simply different today. There's not a demand for a return to the Attitude era, and even if it was attempted, it wouldn't get over in 2026.

This segment more or less chopped Cody down at the knees because the heel actually had a point, the product has been underwhelming recently so it's rather easy for the audience to associate Cody with that dissatisfaction. It was already going to be difficult to get a Wrestlemania crowd to boo Orton because of the cache he has at this point in his career, as well as how over the RKO is, but this segment more or less cements a situation where the fans turn on Cody at Wrestlemania, which doesn't make sense since he's the fighting champion as the baby face. They are setting the stage for him to became the New York Yankees of the company where he gets heat simply for being the top guy that they once clamored for. If that happens then it takes away much of his shine as the top guy, and the only remedy would be a heel turn, a move that would be counterproductive to his overall position as the representative of the organization.

It's somewhat mind-boggling that they are booking Cody Rhodes into a corner like this, but at this point, Randy Orton must win the championship at WM. If Cody wins, you're telling the audience that they would theoretically continue to get the same bland programming they have now. Again, the problem with that portion of the promo is that the heel was right so it lends credibility to the notion that Cody is the caption of a skewed ship. Maybe all of this is moot because management can still paper the house to have a full stadium by showtime, and I said discussed before, the bigger picture is the most profitable Wrestlemania in history in Saudi Arabia next year, but it still seems like this is such a counterproductive way to book Cody Rhodes when the office finally had the guy that could take the John Cena spot as far as the representative for the company.

Jericho returns to AEW

Yesterday, I penned an article about the WWE playing the John Cena card as the host to try to boost Wrestlemania ticket sales, and explained that not nearly enough time had passed for his appearance to truly make an impact or move the needle. I explained a few different examples from different eras based on the Jim Cornette philosophy, "how can we miss you if you won't go away?" to illustrate when it can or can't be effective.

One of the examples I used was Cody Rhodes' ambitious exit from the WWE in 2016, his role in the launch of All Elite Wrestling, and ultimately how that time away allowed him to not only reinvent himself, but also build up the demand for him to become the top guy that he is today. I also mentioned that with rumors of Chris Jericho's possible return to WWE that the eight years away from the organization created an anticipation for a final Y2J run on the big stage before he hung up his boots.

Despite it being April Fool's Day, which you can't really count anymore because the entire world is a joke, the notion that Chris Jericho would be back in AEW circulated online just a few hours before Dynamite was set to broadcast live from his original hometown of Winnipeg. Sire, it made sense on the most superficial level as somewhat of a "homecoming," but since he had been kept off of television for a year, it looked like it was another case of Tony Khan paying someone to stay home to avoid giving them any exposure before they left the company, which is what happened with a slew of other talents before they arrived in the WWE.

Chris Jericho did, in fact, return to the company in the opening segment of the television show last night, but there are still more questions than answers surrounding his status going forward.

Jericho proclaimed that he was "home" in AEW, implying that he will be there for the long haul, and at 55, it's reasonable to assume that would translate to eventually retiring from in-ring competition at some point under the All Elite banner. As fitting as it would be for him to have his career conclude in WWE because of the nearly two decade run that he had there, Jericho has always tried to think outside of the box, in terms of avoiding being typecast by the corporation. Ironically, that's what prompted him to work for New Japan in 2018 and eventually ink a deal to be on the ground floor at the start of AEW. That's why while it seems like an almost automatic decision for him to choose a WWE return with a Hall of Fame induction and all of the merchandise that goes along with it, there's still a very valid argument to be made that he should retire as an AEW star.

By 2018, Jericho was being regulated to a background figure within the WWE landscape, as he had done more or less everything that he could do there, and the office saw him as a part-time legend to make cameo appearances. Jericho thought, and he was proven to be correct, that he had more to offer to the pro wrestling industry as a whole than a rather limited range of options in the WWE. Jericho was instrumental in All Elite Wrestling getting off the ground, not only because of his star power, but also the sense of optimism that he brought to the table around the new venture. Of course, the entire point of trying to launch a company on a national level is to try to reach the biggest demographic possible and thus maximize potential revenue. If that was Tony Khan's true goal with all of this is a different discussion for a different time, but the point being, for any new promotion, the office is asking the fans to invest in the product through ticket sales, merchandise and pay-per-view orders. The audience isn't going to be nearly as willing to do that if they think that the project might fizzle out rather quickly. Was there really a demand for Wrestling Society X t-shirts?

When Chris Jericho put the future of his career toward the efforts of All Elite Wrestling, it gave the fans a sense of confidence in the potential of the project to get off the ground because they knew that Jericho wouldn't risk being so closely associated with a venture if there was a major chance that it would fail. Make no mistake about it, Jericho's legacy would be looked at differently if AEW folded with him as the top star for the new venture. It can't be understated how important that vote of confidence was for the perception of the company when it started in 2019.

Jericho's peaks and valleys in the organization were discussed in the previous article so there's no need to rehash all of that here, but what exactly does he do in AEW now?

The promo that he cut on television was very general and didn't provide any indication on the direction that he will take going forward. It was reported online that he recently filed for the trademark of "the cornerstone," which some speculated might be related to his possible WWE return, but given that the company usually owns as many monikers as it can, maybe that should've been the clue that he was staying with AEW.

As I said in the prior write-up, I think Jericho has done more or less everything he can do in AEW so I'm really not sure who he works with or what storyline he could reasonable be used for in 2026. He started at the top of the card, as he should've, but with even the Ring Of Honor title reign out of the way, there's not too much meat left on the bone for him in the role as the established legend in the promotion. At 55 and a legitimate legend, it's not as though Jericho can work the opening match with Serpentico. No disrespect to Serpentico, of course.

However, what Jericho is booked for in this new chapter in AEW might actually depend on his true status with the company.

There were rumors that Jericho's AEW contract was frozen when he took time off to tour with Fozzy. If that was the case, depending on how much time he has left on the deal, this might be a short-term run with a basic angle. If his agreement with the promotion expired at the end of 2025 as the rumor mill suggested and he signed a new contract to more or less decide that he will spend the rest of his in-ring career in the company, the way to book him could be exponentially more complicated. Again, you don't want to use his cache as a star in a way that doesn't progress the narrative of the shows, but at the same time, there's not much new territory for him to cover in AEW. Obviously, it remains to be seen how Jericho is used, but given the prior criticism about how his tenure plateaued before the hiatus, the decision on what to book for him should be made very carefully, as it could determine if the final chapter of his career as an active wrestler is yet another tenure that he kept himself relevant or if it gets panned by the audience.

Assuming that Jericho opted to sign a new deal to retire with AEW, you have to ask yourself what was the motivate behind it? It could be as simple as Tony Khan didn't want to lose another top star to WWE, even if Jericho's impact on AEW in more recent years has been minimal. Tony might've offered him such a hefty amount of cash that Jericho couldn't turn it down. The pomp and circumstance of the WWE Hall of Fame induction is a great way for the performers to get recognition and appreciation, but the WWE HOF status doesn't pay the bills. Benjamin Franklin wields more power in the real world than the WWE HOF plaque. If it was just a matter of money then it was an easy situation. At the same time, Jericho has made a career of  trying to stay ahead of the curve and differentiate himself, what does he do if he returns to the WWE? The reaction to the initial comeback would be a historic moment, but what about the actual direction? The prospect of Gunther choking Jericho out in his final match isn't exactly the best option, not because he shouldn't put Gunther over, but rather that it would make him just another name on the list.

It remains to be seen how the situation unfolds and only time will tell if the return to AEW was the right move for Jericho, but the biggest takeaway from this scenario might be that while All Elite doesn't have nearly the same momentum now as it did in the early years of the company, it's still a major factor in the industry.

John Cena hosts Wrestlemania

"How can we miss you if you won't go away?" -Jim Cornette

The Louisville slugger has often used that phrase to describe either the anticipation for a return, or on the other end of the spectrum, the notion that a performer overstayed their welcome with a particular run or gimmick. It's a very simple, but also a very accurate equation that applies on at least a semi-regular basis to the pro wrestling industry. At any given time, the business is either evolving toward something new or using its current cache, which by definition has a limited run. If anything stays for too long, in the vast majority of cases, it will become overexposed or stale. The ability to adapt keeps you ahead of the curve, and in the process, some very memorable moments can be created.

For example, Hulk Hogan was the golden goose of the 1980s, but even the top drawing card in the history of the business up until that point had a shelf life. By 1995, the audience had seen the ear-cupping routine and the leg drops. The switch to the New World Order was one of the biggest moments in the history of the sport and it gave The Hulkster another big run on top in WCW. Hulk as a heel would've been unthinkable less than a year before that when he was shilling Pastamania and the Thunder Mixer, as tacky as each of those ventures were. But, what did the heel turn ultimately set the stage for? Eventually, when enough time passed, the fans wanted to see the Hogan that they fondly remembered with the red and yellow from the glory days. How could the audience miss the all-American Hulkster if he didn't go away for a while? That's why when he returned to the WWF after almost a decade in 2002, it didn't take long for the fans to want to see him as a heroic baby face again. It had been eight years since he was waving the flag and posing while "Real American" blared in the background. What's old is new again is more or less a staple of entertainment. Without the eight years as a villain, the audience wouldn't have demanded a final run with the championship in the main event scene, which is why Hulk worked the main event scene with what was left of the Attitude era throughout 2002.

The reason there is a payoff for returns in wrestling is because the time away is what creates the anticipation.

In a different way, Cody Rhodes was away from the WWE for six years, and aside from reinventing himself as The American Nightmare, being instrumental in the launch of AEW, and proving the WWE office wrong when they typecast him as a secondary comedy character, his time outside of the company ultimately built anticipation for his return. Would Stardust have gotten the thunderous reaction at Wrestlemania 38?

As an example of how time away can lead to overall longevity, Chris Jericho kept himself ahead of the curve because for most of his career, he didn't overstay his welcome. When his WWE career plateaued in 2005, he left for two and a half years to tour with Fozzy. When he came back, it rejuvenated his career and ultimately led to some of his best work as a main event guy. Without that hiatus, the narrative of Jericho's career could've been very different. In fact, the current Jericho situation is proof of how time away can build up demand and thus put a fresh coat of paint on a performer. Jericho's work in AEW was originally very solid and key to getting the company off the ground, but the initial formula for the Inner Circle that got over as a way to spotlight younger talent became more about Jericho using a stable to try to stay relevant in the years that followed. It led to diminishing returns and his run fell flat. The Inner Circle was more successful than the Jericho Appreciation Society, and the society was more over than The Learning Tree faction. That's not a knock on Jericho, it's just to point out that his time in All Elite Wrestling ran its course. He hasn't been on AEW programming in a year and rumors still persist that a WWE return is on the table when his All Elite deal expires. Jericho did more or less everything he can do in All Elite and had garnered some resentment from the audience when it was perceived that his later efforts in the company were more self-serving than contributing toward the efforts to establish younger talent for the future. That's not to say that was Jericho's intention, but perception is often reality, at least from the fans' perspective. If Jericho resurfaces in AEW, it will be looked at as an eye-rolling retread, but if he shows up at Wrestlemania this year, it will be a historic moment after eight years outside of the organization. Again, how can we miss you if you won't go away?

There's no doubt that returns can translate to box office, but is the latest WWE comeback going to move tickets?

It was announced this week that John Cena will return to the company for the first time in all of four months to be the host of Wrestlemania. As I wrote in an article last week about the 25% off sale the WWE ran on tickets a mere two weeks after the larger 31.6% discount, the corporation realized that they overpriced tickets too late and there are way too many other factors that become more expensive overall than the discount on tickets since it's much closet to the event. The increase in flight costs and hotel reservations are significantly more expensive now than they were before either the 31% or 25% off sales. The discount doesn't cover the difference so if cost was the deterrent before, it's going to remain the biggest hurl to moving tickets.

As much as a bonafide legend as John Cena is, he hasn't been gone anywhere near long enough that putting him back on screen is going to make a difference in the numbers. The WWE just had a year with Cena as the focus of the retirement tour, with the emotional farewell. You can still order the farewell merchandise on WWE Shop, it's not as though fans have had enough time to fondly reflect on their favorite Cena moments, it's still a current topic. Furthermore, if he was going to retire at Wrestlemania or was gone from the ring for several years and was going to wrestle again, it might be a different story. But, is John Cena cutting a promo for the first time in four months really something that fans will be motivated to pay hundreds of dollars to see in the building?

This isn't Steve Austin coming back after 19 years with no official retirement at Wreslemania 38 to have a match against Kevin Owens when the company had to do something to sell tickets in Dallas. As flat as it was, this isn't The Ultimate Warrior's comeback in 1996 when there was at least some intrigue to what the guy was doing since he abruptly left the WWF a few years earlier. This is just a promo, and it's a sign that management is desperate to get fans in the building, as there's still a 30% decline in tickets sold last year in the same venue less than three weeks before the pay-per-view.