New Japan sold

There was a major shift in the professional wrestling industry earlier this week, as Bushiroad, the organization that was responsible for a popular trading card series before it bought New Japan Pro Wrestling from the video game company, THQ in 2012, sold its stake in the organization to Cyber Agent, the parent company of Cyber Fight, which owns Pro Wrestling NOAH, as well as DDT. The Wrestling Observer reports that Asahi TV, a longtime partner of New Japan and the owner of its historical video library, saw an increase in its minority share in the company to somewhere around a 46% interest in the promotion going forward. Considering that the structure of the New Japan streaming service is already in place, and Cyber Fight already has a stream service for it's other pro wrestling properties, not much is expected to change as far as schedule or distribution of the product. As of right now, it looks as though Bushiroad will retain ownership of Stardom, and Cyber Fight owns Tokyo Joshi Pro, but it doesn't seem like there will be any conflict, given the scope of those specific ventures. However, with Bushiroad selling New Japan, you have to wonder if there's another buyer, potentially Tony Khan, for Stardom?

In truth, it's usually not a good thing when there's a consolidation of commodities under one banner since it would imply a monopoly, but taking into account the current circumstances of the industry on a global basis, the ability for the Japanese scene to combine its resources is probably the best case scenario for everyone involved.

While the change in ownership is a big story, the change in leadership of New Japan isn't something completely new, and it was much more shocking when the legendary founder, Antonio Inoki sold his interest in the promotion to the previously mentioned THQ group in 2005 after his MMA experiment of a few years earlier had the Japanese league on the brink of collapse. Eventually, THQ also shutdown, but not before they sold the organization to Bushiroad. It was under their direction that the NJPW brand had its biggest resurgence of the past 25 years. Obviously, it was a matter of timing as well with the right talent booked in the right position at the right time, but it can't be understated how important it was that Bushiroad was able to finance, as well as expand not only the product, but increase revenue streams with merchandise. The term, "generational talent" gets thrown around too often in professional wrestling, but Kazuchika Okada reaching his prime at a time when the organization had the funds to bring in more foreign talent to establish The Bullet Club was a key reason for its success. With more foreign talent and how wildly popular the NWO-type of takeover was, it put a renewed spotlight on the Japanese brand for fans outside of Japan. At the same time, native talent like Okada, Naito, and many others allowed that expanded audience to watch arguably the best in-ring product in the world at the time. With the Bushiroad money behind it, New Japan Pro Wrestling became a legitimate and viable career option for talent on an international basis to a level that it hadn't been for years previously. The downturn in business of the Japanese scene in the early-2000s, one of the many reasons that prompted the initial sale from Inoki, took a lot of the shine away from the Japanese circuit that it had during a previous era. The Bushiroad expansion of the product is ultimately what introduced a completely new generation of international fans to New Japan Pro Wrestling. For the first time in history, a full streaming site allowed fans outside of Japan to watch live cards. Furthermore, along with the training dojo in Los Angeles, fans in the United States could order authentic New Japan merchandise without the astronomical shipping fees of years earlier.

In short, the direction under Bushiroad streamlined access to the product and ultimately made it much easier for foreign fans to follow the events, thus creating more revenue in the process.

That being said, with as much success as New Japan had over the course of a six or seven year period, there's a reason that Bushiroad was willing to sell the organization. While I didn't expect Bushiroad to sell the promotion, I'm not completely shocked by it either. When you look at the success that the group had with veteran wrestler, Gado as the booker and the number of talents that were spotlighted in the process, it simply wasn't going to be sustainable. There are peaks and valleys to everything, with the goal being that the valleys can still generate good business. As we've seen, the launch of All Elite Wrestling, which took the core Elite group, and the subsequent signing of almost every top star in the company, was a major dent to the depth of the New Japan roster. It might sound too simplistic, but were too many guys signed away in a relatively short period of time that there wasn't any realistic chance that NJPW could replenish the line-up fast enough for it not to take a toll on business. Along with that, and this was almost as big of an issue in terms of the company's ability to generate revenue, the shutdown and then limited capacity of the pandemic was something that New Japan arguably didn't truly recover from before the Cyber Fight purchase. Keep in mind, New Japan's primary revenue streams were still the traditional live event tickets and merchandise sold in the building. There's no doubt that their strong partnership with Asahi TV is an important part of their business model, but their television program is used to sell their live events, not targeted toward securing broadcast rights fees like we've seen in the modern era in America.

So, with no live events or limited capacity at venues because of the pandemic, New Japan lost a significant amount of money since they still had to pay wrestler contracts during that time. As we know,  Tetsuya Naito, one of the most popular performers on the roster, left the company last year when he couldn't agree on a new contract. His stablemates, Bushi and Hiromu Takahashi also left the organization. It was well-known that New Japan couldn't realistically compete with Tony Khan's money or the vast resources of the WWE so when someone was offered a deal, with a rare exception, they were going to sign the contract. But, when the Los Ingobernables De Japon exited, the impression was that New Japan just didn't have the money to meet their demands.

As mentioned, the bottom line is, if Bushiroad thought there was another resurgence on the horizon, they wouldn't have sold the company. That notion lets you know that there were some serious hurdles that led to the downturn in business, and there doesn't look to be an easy solution in the near future. How Cyber Fight tackles remains to be seen. The group has the capital to make investments to strengthen the product, and both NOAH and DDT have done reasonable well for their level, but it should be noted that New Japan is a bigger scope than anything Cyber Fight has promoted in the wrestling business before. That's not to say that the new ownership won't be successful, but rather to point out that it's not an automatically successful scenario either.

The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that New Japan was sold for an estimated $22.6 million for the 70% ownership that Bushiroad had as a part of its controlling interest in the promotion. That amount of cash isn't bread crumbles, but it really puts into perspective that AEW and WWE have an exponentially bigger reach on an international basis. Of course, New Japan is tailored to its native audience, as it should be, but highlights the notion that the influence of the Japanese league is far bigger than its economic impact on the sport. Don't get me wrong, when a performer is offered exponentially more money to sign with either AEW or WWE, it makes sense to take the deal since the entire point of the business is to make the most money possible. New Japan markets toward a smaller domestic market and thus their pay scale is lower. That's not a knock on the organization, just to point out that capitalism will often dictate where talent goes in the modern era.

There have been different partnerships or working agreements in the past that allowed talent to work for different organizations at one time, but hopefully, everything under one banner can help make the process seamless. For example, New Japan needs depth and star power added to the roster.Naito worked for Pro Wrestling NOAH more recently so hopefully, Cyber Fight will have the ability to bring him back to New Japan. Hopefully, not much changes in the short term, as far as the transition of ownership won't affect the stability of the organization, but at the same time, the best case scenario would be that the new leadership will have a bigger picture that they want to implement as far as goals for New Japan in the grand scheme of things.

Considering how much cash Tony Khan has thrown into the pro wrestling business the past few years, you have to wonder if Bushiroad tried to make a deal with him to buy the company? If I had to guess, I'd say that Asahi probably wouldn't have been willing to sell their portion of the organization since it's a longtime staple of the network. All things considered, if this purchase will further solidify New Japan, particularly through this rocky period, it was probably the best decision for the industry, because as I said, while the economic impact is smaller, the Japanese league had a major influence on the modern era of the entire business.

Logan Paul injured

The Vision, the stable that started with Paul Heyman as its verbal guidance, and Seth Rollins as its in-ring leader, is snake bitten.

As we know, Seth Rollins was set for the biggest push of his accomplished WWE career after he cashed in the Money in The Bank contract at Summer Slam last year to beat CM Punk for the World Heavyweight championship. Seth was a work horse from the time that he was brought to the main roster as a a part of The Shield in 2012, but for a portion of his WWE tenure, he played second fiddle to either Roman Reigns or Jon Moxley. His character had to overcome some absolutely drek in terms of the way he was booked as a baby face champion years ago against The Fiend, or the original goofiness of the visionary persona. Seth was finally being booked in the lead role, with a faction around him to showcase his status as a top guy. Less than two months after all of the pieces of the puzzle were put together for him to have the biggest run of his career, he suffered a shoulder injury in a match against Cody Rhodes that required surgery, putting him on the shelf for nearly six months before he was able to return in time for Wrestlemania this year.

However, the entire direction of the stable had to change, as The Vision attacked Rollins to be able to write him off of television. A few months later, during a brawl segment on Raw, Bron Breakker suffered a hernia that required surgery, which also put him on the injured list. A few weeks after Breakker was out of action, Bronson Reed suffered a shoulder injury that needed surgery to repair it. Austin Theory was added to the group, a move that has been mildly successful at best, to keep the stable afloat until Breakker made his return at Wrestlemania to interfere in Rollins' match against Gunther. Earlier this week, Bronson Reed posted a picture of social media as he trains to get ready for his comeback.

Just when it looked as though the stable that started as if it was going to be a major force on the Raw brand was actually going to be able to be used in that role, at least for the rest of the year, Logan Paul suffered a triceps tear during a match against The Street Profits at last weekend's Saturday Night's Main Event, sending him into surgery to fix it.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the original premise of the faction, and even the objective of the shifts that were made after various injuries, but at this point, this might be a sign for the wrestling Gods to disband the group.

Austin Theory, ironically the member of the stable that was added to it in an attempt to save his career rather than progress it based on potential, should be extra careful with everything that he does since he's literally the only stablemates that hasn't ended up hurt yet. The reason that I think it's time to pull the plug on the group isn't that it's intended mission isn't viable, but rather to put a fresh coat of paint on it as somewhat of a new chapter for those involved. Furthermore, as those within the group have progressed, specifically through their returns from injury, the argument could be made that the pieces of the puzzle might not fit together quite as well as they did initially, or at least with the goals of those performers now.

For example, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed made a solid tag team, but obviously, the plan is to put Breakker in a main event singles role at some point in the future, which becomes even more important as more of the current top guys retire going forward. Given that Randy Orton was rumored to be penciled in to win the WWE championship at Wrestlemania, but lingering back issues caused that plan to be scrapped, I'd say that he will hang up his boots sooner rather than later. We thought that Brock Lesnar was retired, but apparently, it looks like despite the lack of logic since he was said to be "retired" on Raw,  he will stretch out his career long enough for it to be used as a major selling point for Summer Slam this year in his hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he was originally expected to have his final match.

The point is, Bron Breakker is theoretically going to be one of the guys that replenishes the main event scene over the next few years. Breakker and Reed would still be good stablemates to occasionally work tag team matches, but it remains to be seen how their roles would be adjusted as a group if the bigger plan will be for Breakker to move up the ranks.

Paul Heyman is still the best talker in the business and should undoubtedly be used to push top prospects and top angles. If he does that for an entire stable going forward and if that would be the best presentation of those performers remains to be seen. Heyman promoting Breakker with Reed in a supporting role as the monster sidekick might be the best compromise to make now, taking into account that Logan Paul will be out of action for several months. All things considered, while I understand why Paul was paired with The Vision, he doesn't necessarily need the association to find what works for him in the WWE. Between the Prime sponsorship and the fact that he checks a lot of the boxes for TKO in terms of social media, management will find something for Logan Paul to do on WWE programming.

While Paul has done well for someone of his experience level, it's important to put the situation into context. Yes, he has a social media following that the WWE can use to bring clips to those outside of the WWE audience, but as we've discussed before, it's not as though his online following has translated into a major increase in viewership for the product. The bottom line is, the vast majority of Logan Paul's audience isn't going to follow his ventures into pro wrestling if they aren't fans of the product already. Don't get me wrong, from a corporate perspective, it makes sense to have Logan Paul on the roster, but it's not as though he should have priority over performers like Breakker or Reed.

Of course, new members could always be added to The Vision stable if the office is set on continuing the group in some fashion of its current form, but that might dilute the original concept. It goes without saying that injuries are a part of the sport and can often be unavoidable, but when nearly every member of a group is sent into surgery in less than a calendar year, it's probably time to throw in the towel on the project. The problem is, with the number of retirements mentioned prior and the current status of the WWE landscape, the Raw brand needs  the tent pole that Heyman, Breakker, etc. provide as far as an anchor for storylines. A lot can be done with angles based on Heyman's ability to sell them, and the remaining members of the stable to work those feuds in the ring. As of right now, Austin Theory and Bron Breakker will continue to defend the tag team titles that Theory held with Paul previously, but I'd guess that there's something bigger on the horizon for the stable, specifically if they have some type of role in the Brock Lesnar/Oba Femi match at the pay-per-view. 

Double or Nothing review

All Elite Wrestling presented Double or Nothing on pay-per-view this past weekend, an event that is seen as a milestone on the AEW calendar, as it marks the anniversary of the first official event that took place seven years ago. The highs and the lows of the past seven years are a different discussion for a different time, but in some ways, the 2026 edition was still a reflection of the consistent positives, as well as the negatives of the product. However, as I wrote in an article last week about the build up to the show, the effectiveness of the main event angle avoided some of the usual All Elite pitfalls, which was probably why it was one of the better storylines in the company in recent memory. Furthermore, and this is an example of the return on that television investment when the narrative is presented in a logical manner, the event in Louis Armstrong Stadium sold out with more than 15,000 fans in attendance.

That being said, if there was a common thread throughout the history of the promotion, at least for the vast majority of its existence, it's the notion of too much, too far, and too often.

The opening match was a reflection of that. The I Quit bout for the tag team titles was booked as the payoff of the FTR vs. Adam Copeland and Christian tag feud. As as far the culmination of such a rivalry, this type of gimmick segment makes sense, and very similar to a significant portion of All Elite programming, in a vacuum, this was a very good contest. As far as logic, this was put together as well as one of these types of matches are going to be structured, which was a nod to the quality performers in this match. FTR are still probably the best tag team anywhere in the business, and despite their age, Copeland and Christian maximize everything they do in the ring, especially Christian. For a payoff, this match had barbed wire, tables, ladders, the spiked two by four, and the flaming table spot toward the conclusion that saw Cash Wheeler and Stokely crash through it. Again, as far as ring psychology, this made sense and built toward a crescendo at the finish. Granted, the set up to the table spot was a little goofy because it doesn't exactly make sense that Stokely would have to stand on the apron next to Beth Copeland, but it's one of those things that you can overlook for the prosperity of pro wrestling. After a pair of submissions and an assist from the spiked two by four, Dax Harwood said I Quit for the Copeland/Christian team to win the titles.

I want to make it clear, this was a great payoff. The problem was, it was the first match on a four-hour broadcast. As much as ECW pushed the envelope, even the eccentric Paul Heyman put the flaming table spot in the middle of the show to allow for somewhat of a natural reset or "intermission" before the mayhem continued. In the opening tag match, we saw barbed wire, fire, tables, ladder, chairs, and the ring was partially disassembled. What in the wide world of sports is there really left to do? The audience saw everything and the most high risk stuff in the first twenty minutes of the pay-per-view so everything else that had to follow it will be less effective in comparison. There was a table used in the main event more than three and a half hours later, but it wasn't on fire so is the crowd going to react the same way they would've otherwise? At some point, it all becomes excessive and tedious, particularity when it unintentionally dilutes some of the legitimate risks the other performers take on the rest of the card. As I said, in a vacuum, this was a tremendous tag team I Quit match, but in the big picture, it probably took away from the rest of the card.

The Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada match was absolutely tremendous. This was a modern match done right, they gave the fans the fast-paced, hard-hitting style that you'd expect from two New Japan alumni, but structured it in a fashion that allowed the audience to digest what they were watching, with deliberate moments of selling after bursts of action. There were some incredible sequences in this match, and the series of counters as the advantage tilted back and fourth created a level of drama. As much as Okada is hit or miss in terms of if he's going to mail in a performance in All Elite, this might've been the best match of his AEW career. I've written several times before that Takeshita could be and should be a main event guy for the promotion at some point, and this segment was prove of that. Everything they did was crisp and smooth without degenerating into anything too outlandish or illogical. They gave the audience that big time Japanese main event segment without jumping the shark with some of the modern pitfalls. The finish saw Takeshita hit the falcon arrow to get the pin to win the International title. Post-match, Kyle Fletcher returned from injury, and the Don Callis stable attacked Takeshita, setting up for a full-fledged baby face run that will hopefully move him up the card in the grand scheme of things.

After two great match and more than three and a half hours left in the show, this is where a lack of booking approach can hindered the overall presentation. The opening match had almost every hardcore gimmick possible, and the match after that did the high spot formula so again, what else is left for the rest of the card? We were a little less than an hour into the show and stylistically, the audience saw more or less everything. The twenty minutes of weapons followed by twenty minutes of high impact moves and numerous kick outs don't leave much of a playbook left for the rest of the roster. Because of that, the next few matches were fine, but couldn't really compare to everything that was already on the show. The ten-minute Athena/Mina Shirakawa Owen Hart tournament match wasn't terrible, but it wasn't anything that was going to get a major reaction to the audience after the previous 40 minutes of the broadcast. Athena got the victory. In a similar fashion, Jon Moxley/Kyle O'Reilly was a solid bout that emphasized the physicality of the exchanges, but it was basically a lesser version of the Takeshita/Okada bout that viewers already saw so it got somewhat tedious by the time that Moxley got the submission win near the twenty-minute mark.

The Samoa Joe/Will Ospreay Owen Hart tournament match was a good segment, mostly because of how spectacular the British grappler is, and the 12-minute time frame provided a nice change of pace from the copy/paste format of 20 minutes that these types of match are usually given at AEW pay-per-views. It also can't be understated how much of a true pro Samoa Joe is because his matches are consistent quality performances, but he's smart enough to avoid the modern pitfalls mentioned earlier. Ospreay got the pin fall to advance in the tournament, and it should go without saying that he should win the AEW world championship at Wembley Stadium in a few months.

Swerve Strickland and Bandido did some really impressive stuff in their Owen Hart Tournament match. The reverse hurricanrana to the floor was insane. The problem is, specifically because this contest wasn't based on a major angle, this match was forgettable by the end of the night. That's not to say that the athleticism wasn't unbelievable, but rather taking into context everything else the audience had already seen. Strickland got the win to advance in the tournament. The four-way match for the AEW Women's championship fell into the same category, it was fine, but forgettable after so many car crash segments. Thekla retained the title.

Speaking of car crashes, that's more or less what the Stadium Stampede match is designed to be. By nature, this type of gimmick match usually goes too long and becomes somewhat tedious. That being said, all things considered, this was probably the best that this type of match was going to be and provided a fun segment. Chris Jericho got the pin and his post-match Sabu tribute was a nice gesture.

The main event was in a tough spot, but used a lot of ring psychology, specifically based on the storyline to keep the audience invested in the match. There was something at stake and they used that to maximize everything they did. Darby Allin took a scary bump on his neck when he tried to dive out of the ring and clipped his feet on the ropes. He narrowly avoided landing on his head on the floor. The coffin drop from the set through a table was a way to put a climatic exclamation point at the end of the show, which was risky, but fine. Darby suffered a nasty cut on the back of his head from the spot. Eventually, MJF hit a tombstone from the second rope to set up for the pin fall to win the championship. This match and this storyline were very well done. Darby Allin is a bigger star than he was before he was the champion so it was an effective angle, and MJF winning the title sets up for Ospreay to win the belt at Wembley so it was mission accomplished. The post-match Kevin Knight heel turn wasn't needed and was something that could've been saved for television. Overall, there wasn't a bad match on the card, but the structure of the line-up actually hindered the presentation of the pay-per-view.

What's next for Ludwig Kaiser?

"The decisions that you make can shape your life forever" - A Bronx Tale, 1993

Chaz Palminteri's 1989 one-man stage show was eventually adapted to the big screen for the semi-autobiographical story that was released on film in 1993. The cult classic has many wise narratives, aside from that one, the other being, "the saddest thing in life is wasted talent." Essentially, it boiled down to the consequences of choices and the ability to live up to the fullest potential.

There are countless stories of wasted potential, both inside and outside of the pro wrestling business.  

That's why I was disappointed to read that second generation grappler, Ludwig Kaiser, who achieved wild popularity in Mexico as El Grande Americano, was arrested earlier this week after a dispute in an elevator at his apartment complex that led to a physical altercation.

The real-life Marcel Barthel was alleged to have attacked a man after the victim in the case objected to Barthel and a female companion being overly passionate in the public space of the elevator. The alleged victim claims that after the elevator stopped, Barthel attacked him. When the victim filed a police report, there were said to be fresh scratches on the back of his head, and there's said to be video footage of the incident. The altercation actually last month, but with Kaiser wrestling primarily in Mexico, he agreed to turn himself into authorities when he returned to the United States, leading to the official arrest with the mug shot earlier this week. As of this writing, Barthel entered a plea of not guilty and requested to continue traveling, both domestic and internationally, based on his job with the WWE. As more of the story unfolded, there was speculation among various online sources that the victim, who is a neighbor that lives in the same apartment complex as Barthel, made a derogatory remark about Andrea Bazarte, the WWE Spanish language host that is said to be in a current relationship with Barthel. One of the reasons I waited to cover this story until more information was available was that it just didn't make sense for Barthel to randomly attack someone for no reason, especially when you take into account that legal trouble could effect his job. Obviously, the legal process will have to take its course for the facts of the case to be made completely public. If the neighbor made a derogatory remark toward Bazarte then he deserved to get smacked. That being said, that does absolve Barthel of legal repercussions, even if he was morally right in this situation.

Given that he made arrangements to turn himself into authorities, I find it doubtful that he would be denied the ability to travel so the highly-anticipated mask vs. mask match for AAA in Mexico next week will probably take place as scheduled.

Still, could this incident have an overall detrimental effect on Kaiser's career going forward?

It goes without saying that the bigger the star, the more they can get away with and still keep their job in the WWE. Years ago, when Randy Orton was an immature performer in his 20s, he was notoriously difficult to deal with, but he was kept under contract, not only because of the value that he had to the company at the time, but also where the company saw him as a star in the future. Both of the Usos had arrests at different times for DUI, but it was quietly swept under the rug. It's not fair, but someone like Terry Taylor or Disco Inferno wouldn't get leeway from a publicly-traded corporation since they would be considered expendable in the grand scheme of things.

That's the reason that Ludwig Kaiser is walking a thin line right now.

Kaiser has been under contract to the WWE for almost a decade and within that time has done well with what he was given to do. Sure, he was in a secondary role within the stable with Gunther, but it was a way to introduce him to the main roster audience. For him to get arrested at this point when he has the biggest exposure of his entire career, it could definitely alter his overall career trajectory. Yes, the Grande Americano feud has done very well for AAA, which is exactly what the WWE needs if they truly want to establish a foothold in Mexico, but that doesn't mean that Kaiser isn't expendable if he becomes too much of a head ache. That's why this is sure an inopportune time for something like this to happen, as it's the biggest spot of his career, but he's not completely cemented as a star yet, because depending on the result, the finish could theoretically be used to write him out of AAA.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Ludwig Kaiser has no value to the organization. In fact, it's quite the opposite. It would be disheartening if a guy threw away his chance to be solidified as a major star with the biggest opportunity of his career because he lost his cool in a rather bizarre incident in an elevator. Yes, the neighbor might've deserved it, but a level of restraint must be taken into account, considering that Kaiser is a public figure and has something to lose in the worst case scenario. Hopefully, this isn't a situation where he assumed that he could get away with something like this because of his WWE exposure since those situations usually don't end well. It's important to note that Kaiser claims that he's not guilty, and we only know one side of the story at this point so the case itself will have to unfold to get a better picture of the incident. That being said, the security camera footage of the alleged altercation is how Marcel Barthel was identified so if that footage confirms that victim's story, it might be difficult for Barthel to maintain a not guilty plea. Again, Barthel might've been morally right, but that doesn't mean that he won't be held legally responsible.

As far as the legal process, as I said, given that Barthel turned himself into police and has a public profile, he will probably be allowed to go to Mexico for the Grande Americano mask vs. mask match. Plus, the WWE is a powerful organization with a lot of connections. Don't forget, the orange blob in the White House got the criminal investigation into Vince McMahon dropped after he took office for a second term. That six million dollar donation to the campaign paid off. So, Kaiser will be able to go to Mexico, but it's possible that he will end up paying a settlement to the victim if he's found liable for any injuries.

At 35, Ludwig Kaiser should be in the prime of his career, especially with ten years of experience in the WWE system. The entire point of the WWE purchase of AAA last year was for the company to finally be able to generate a profitable revenue stream from lucha libre. It goes without saying that it's very important for the WWE to continue to integrate itself into the fabric of lucha in Mexico so that the fan base will embrace it as a native product rather than an American export. It might not be the focus of the domestic product, but the successful expansion into Mexico and thus the success of AAA itself is a key piece of the puzzle for the overall globalization of the product for the TKO corporation. The role in AAA for any performer that management decides to invest in through a featured spot in Mexico isn't some type of side gig, nor should it be treated as such. Endeavor, the parent company of TKO, didn't become a conglomerate worth billions because they invested foolishly.

Chad Gable is a top-notch performer, even if the way he's booked in WWE doesn't reflect that, and there's a reason that he was booked in the main event spot for this anticipated AAA bout. Along the same lines, Ludwig Kaiser could be a guy that really elevates himself to be one of the cornerstones of AAA under WWE ownership. Gable is an example of how the Mexican platform can boost a performer's overall value to the company, and Grande Americano could be the same opportunity for Kaiser. As mentioned, a lot of how this situation is handled going forward will be based on the results of the actual case, but the biggest takeaway from this incident should be a cautionary tale for talent to keep in mind that the anonymous yo-yos that usually provoke this type of stuff don't have anything to lose, but the wrestlers have a national contract on the line in the situation.

AEW ticket sales

The barometer for success is the combination of revenue and profit.

It might sound overly simplistic, particularly with how many variables can be involved within the sports entertainment industry, but the bottom line for pro wrestling, or really any other business venture, is how much money was made? If you draw a million dollars at the gate, but finished a dollar in the red, ultimately, it was a failed  business deal.

One of the famous cliches of the wrestling business is, "how do you get a million dollars in pro wrestling? Start with two million."

The ability to make money and turn a profit are the key points that determine if a project can get off the ground. Besides the fact that the cash is the entire point of running a promotion, or at least it should be, the success of nearly every other aspect of the project can be associated with the numbers that it drew for the company. Going back to the complex portion of the discussion, if there's one cog in the wheel out of sorts, the entire process can end up off track. You can have the best booking and build up to a live event, but if the marketing and promotional side isn't on point, you're not going to get the message across to sell the show to the local audience. There was a reason that TNA drew embarrassing house show crowds when they had a national television show on Spike TV every week. Still, you need the original ingredients to be mixed and cooked properly in the first place for the previously mentioned marketing team to be able to sell it to the public.

Since the inception of All Elite Wrestling almost seven years ago, with the start of the original Double or Nothing pay-per-view, I have written often that Tony Khan's goal should be to turn a profit, not necessarily compete with the WWE. Sure, the two groups are in the same business and compete for market share, but again, success is based on the ability to be a profitable commodity, or at least it should be. To use another TNA analogy, one of the many, many reasons that Dixie Carter failed as a promoter was that she thought that competing with WWE was the way to "win" in the sports entertainment industry. She could've saved her dad a lot of cash if she would've realized that profit is the goal.

Granted, in some respects, All Elite Wrestling is an anomaly since money is no object to Tony Khan and the existence of the promotion doesn't depend on its ability to be profitable. Shad Khan is a billionaire, and the Khan family makes a few billion dollars a year based on his original patent within the auto parts industry, as well as his ownership of a few different sports teams.

Regardless, the prospects and success rate are still relevant within the traditional analysis of the company because without those metrics, the promotion boils down to Tony's vanity project.

That being said, the success of ticket sales for this weekend's Double or Nothing pay-per-view at Louis Armstrong Stadium in New York is an indication of a formula that works for the promotion. According to The Wrestling Observer, the event has sold almost 14,000 tickets so far and is expected to be a sell out before the show kicks off this Sunday. The Observer noted that the Double or Nothing show last year at The Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona sold 8,200 tickets, which was roughly half a house at the venue. Clearly, with nearly double of the amount of tickets sold, the build to this year's Double or Nothing has been much more effective. Taking into account that the cheapest ticket is currently listed at $225, there's no doubt that there's a true demand for tickets to be in the building for the 2026 edition of the show. It can't be understated how impressive it is that AEW is still able to move tickets, especially at that price, when gas prices continue to increase in the midst of the ongoing conflict with Iran. When there's a direct crunch to disposable income with the increased costs of necessities, such as gas, utilities, and groceries, it's not a fluke when consumers decide to use a limited amount of disposable income on live event tickets. Tony Khan has booked a card that the audience wants to see, and built up the importance as something that they are willing to pay to attend, even in the current economy.

Ironically, the build to the PPV, which will be headlined by Darby Allin vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman in a hair vs. title match, is different from the usual slapstick booking approach that Tony Khan usually takes with most pay-per-view cards. While it's well known that Friedman is from Long Island, it's doubtful that this is a hometown draw. Instead, a feud was booked with something at stake. Darby Allin won the title in a fluke fashion, which was probably by designed, but there were very deliberate steps to give him credibility as the champion. As I've written several times in the past, Adam Page was a lukewarm champion because his first defense was a draw and then he cut whiny promos about defending the title. That along with the illogical baby face and heel switches over the years have kept him at a position of indifference. In many ways, Tony Khan took the opposite approach with how he booked Darby as champion. Allin has defended the belt almost weekly, which was also probably by design to play a role in the overall storyline, but in the process, he was made to look like a fighting champion. That notion is one of the traits of a good baby face. The "good guy," especially in a main event role should have admirable traits that the audience can connect with. Despite most of his career being reduced to a stunt show, this current angle presents Darby as the underdog champion that will defend against anyone. Along the same lines, even though Maxwell Jacob Friedman was devalued with how he was used at certain points in his AEW career, and it appears that he's okay with it as long as he gets a hefty paycheck from Tony Khan, he can still work as a top heel when it counts. A baby face that the crowd rallies behind and a heel with heat might sound too simplistic, but there's a reason that it works. Clearly, the ticket sales are proof that it worked for the Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

Usually, when a hair vs. hair match is booked, it's a set up for the heel to have to pay for their sins. In this case, with Darby as the champion already, I think the possibility of MJF getting his head shaved is only being used as the carrot on the end of the stick to be used for a payoff at some point in the future. Truthfully, the title on the line and the hair stipulation are what drew the house, and AEW hasn't promised anything so it's fine that only the possibility is being used to sell the show. While I think that MJF will win the title this Sunday, with the notion that Darby burned the candle at both ends when he defended the title every week to set up for the eventual showdown with Will Ospreay at Wembley Stadium, the reception to the hair stipulation, there's money to be made again when Friedman finally gets his head shaved down the road.

The sum of the Darby Allin/MJF feud was that it built very well and garnered interest, both on pay-per-view and in the building. As I said, it's not easy to accomplish both of those in the current economic landscape. Assuming that MJF wins the title back and the bigger picture is Wembley, the Darby feud was a great short-term storyline that added more in the grand scheme of things. That's also why All Elite Wrestling can be a very frustrating viewing experience because the Darby/MJF storyline is proof that the pieces of the puzzle are there for the company to have a better product.

Gina Carano vs. Ronda Rousey

This past weekend, "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey returned to mixed martial arts for the first time in a decade to square off with Gina Carano, who had a brief, but very influential MMA career before she hung up her gloves to pursue acting more than 17 years ago. When the fight was originally announced a few months ago, the argument could've been made that while the bout was a collision of two top stars from two different eras of women's MMA, the other side of the coin was that both of them had been gone from the sport for such an extended period of time that it was possible that their collective drawing power had faded. The Intuit Dome in Inglewood California was home turf for "Rowdy Ronda," and despite the peaks and valleys of her professional career, both inside and outside of the sport, the event was reported to be a "near sell-out" of the 18,000-seat building by various media outlets.  

Ironically, these contest was initially pitched to the Ultimate Fighting Championship because of Ronda's longtime friendship with UFC boss, Dana White, but when an agreement couldn't be reached, the fight was not only taken to Jake Paul's Most Valuable Player organization, but it served as the launch of the promotional group's MMA project. We've already seen that MVP Promotions promoted Paul's boxing matches, as well as other cards on Netflix, but it's very possible that if the UFC didn't decline to host this Rousey/Carano fight that we wouldn't have seen the first MMA event on the streaming platform.

As I wrote when the bout was officially announced, the fight business is still the entertainment business. On paper it might've seemed outlandish that someone like Carano, who only fought for three years before she retired after her first loss, could be considered a drawing card after being away from the cage for 17 years. There's no doubt that Ronda was the "A-side" of the fight, as she accomplished exponentially more in her MMA career, both as a star and as a competitor, than Carano did. That being said, if it sells tickets then there's business to be done.

You have to wonder how much of this fight was business? But, more on that later.

There have been comparisons between pro wrestling and mixed martial arts since the Zuffa days of the UFC when the Fertita brothers bought the organization and began to use many pro wrestling tactics to promote their cards. This MVP MMA event was no different since the matchmaker or "booking" of the card was done in a very deliberate fashion to attempt to ensure match-ups that would provide action that was tailored to a Netflix audience.

Four of the five fights on the main card were finished in the first round, and the other fight ended after the second round via doctor stoppage. None of the main card bouts went to the score cards so the night was all action.

There were a few takeaways from MVP MMA's inaugural event. 

The opening bout saw former UFC Heavyweight champion, Junior Dos Santos suffer another brutal knockout defeat, and considering that the 42-year-old was knocked out more than a half a dozen times in his MMA career, with most of those stoppages in devastating fashion, it would be wise for him to retire. Robelis Despaigne had a pro record of 5-2 going into the contest, with all of his wins via KO in the first round. The Cuban fight had a cup of coffee in the UFC in 2024, as he garnered a record of 1-2 before the pair of defeats led to his release from the company. Clearly, this guy was known to be able to knockout opponents based on the victories on his card, and Dos Santos had a history of being susceptible to being knocked out so the matchmakers knew the odds of the finish of this contest. I really hope Dos Santos hangs up his gloves to avoid a Chuck Liddel or Ken Shamrock situation.

Salahdine Parnasse beat Ken Cross via TKO in the first round. Cross was a virtual unknown that was brought in to be a tomato can. Sure, it was a legitimate fight, but Parnasse was the more experienced fighter that competed against better competition. Cross left himself open to take punches too often, and the disparity between their skill sets was obvious early in the fight. The Frenchman landed a digging body shot that sent Cross to the canvas before the referee rescued him to stop the fight. In a similar fashion, Francis Ngannou, who was stripped of the UFC Heavyweight title after a contract dispute almost three and a half years ago, was scheduled for a showcase fight against Philipe Lins. Again, it was a legitimate fight, but even with Lin garnering a 4-2 record during his stint in the UFC, and an overall record of 18-5 before this, he simply wasn't in the same class as the former titleholder. Lins threw wild punches and got very sloppy before a counter punch from Ngannou KO'ed him. Nick Diaz vs. Mike Perry was booked to be the blood and guts segment on the card. It lived up to those expectations, as Diaz suffered multiple cuts and bled buckets during a brawl that was stopped by his corner after the second round.

It goes without saying that the main event was the biggest selling point of this show. What happened next was a reminder of just how much pro wrestling is involved in MMA. After the pyro and ballyhoo of the introductions, Ronda Rousey took Gina Carano down immediately and threw three punches, with two of them landing, but not directly. Right after that, Rousey went for her trademark arm bar, and Carano tapped out instantly. The official time was 17 seconds, but it was closer to 12 seconds of an actual fight before Carano tapped out. I hate to say this, but I honestly think that there's an 80% chance that the bout was a  work. Ronda was paid $2.2 million, and Carano was paid just over a million dollars for the fight.

Aside from the fact that it looked suspicious, evaluating the outcome might reveal more to the story.

At 44, Gina Carano isn't going to make a full-fledged comeback to MMA. She was only a fighter for three years. She made a quick million dollars and sustained no damage. This fight put her name back in the spotlight and she doesn't need any time to heal from an injury if another movie or television role is offered based on the publicity. On the other end of the spectrum, Ronda Rousey is 39 so she theoretically could return to the sport for a handful of fights over the next two or three years. Keep in mind, MVP's venture into mixed martial arts had Ronda at the top of the marquee and it would certainly help them establish their brand of MMA if she was the centerpiece of those events to get enough viewers for the product to solidify it as an alternative to the UFC.

The way that Ronda finished the fight in mere seconds, very similar to the way that she won during her prime, is also questionable. In some ways, it was a way to reignite her career after the pair of vicious knockouts that sent her into retirement a decade ago and restore the image that she had as a dominate fighter.

Everything was a little too convenient, specifically of how it sets the stage going forward.

As I said, if MVP MMA wants to get off the ground on a long-term basis, they might use Ronda as a centerpiece to get more of the roster known to the audience before she completely retires from the sport. Truth be told, the UFC, while the top MMA organization in the world for more than two decades, desperately needs legitimate competition, especially with the amount of complacency that was seen across the board during the ESPN deal. In somewhat of a counter, it was announced during UFC Fight Night broadcast that was opposite MVP MMA event that Conor McGregor will return to the octagon to challenge Max Holloway at UFC 329 in July. It will be five years since we last saw him compete when he snapped his leg at the end of the first round during a fight against Dustin Poirier. The brash Irishman had a slew of legal problems during the time since he suffered the devastating injury. In November of 2024, he was sued for sexual assault and a jury awarded the case to the victim, which resulted in a judgement that saw him ordered to pay the victim a settlement, as well as covering her legal fees.

If Conor McGregor has enough star power left to move the needle remains to be seen, but there's no doubt that UFC brass decided to meet his price to be able to try to snuff out any momentum that MVP MMA might have following the debut event. I'm honestly not sure what could be next for the MVP group, as much of that will depend on what they plan to do next, both in the short-term and the long-term for the MMA league. There are also outside factors as far as who will be on the free agent market and what fights they can make agreements for in the future. Outside of the suspicious finish to the main event, if nothing else, the existence of more options in the sport will be beneficial to both the fighters and the fans.

Mason Rook debuts

Professional wrestling is a cosmetic business. 

It's a harsh reality, but not everyone is cut out to be a sports entertainer, specifically on the national or international level. That being said, the cosmetic that can flourish in professional wrestling can span a wide variety. Much like the business itself, as far as the recruiting process, WWE seems to go through phases of who they will pick up or offer a contract to. There was a reason that Jim Ross, who learned up the hard-nosed Mid South promoter Bill Watts, signed and developed so many guys that would go on to be bonafide stars when he was the head of talent relations for the WWF in the late-90s. Notoriously, Johnny Ace recruited from swimsuit catalogs, a decision that looks even worse in retrospect, based on the lawsuit that named him a few years ago. Unfortunately, some that were brought into the WWE strictly for their look didn't have the aptitude to last in the business. Joy Giovanni is probably a very nice lady, but outside of this reference, has anyone remembered or mentioned her since the diva search days?

On the other end of the spectrum, there are guys that check all the boxes, cosmetically and athletically, but never truly connect with the audience for whatever reason. When you look at Matt Morgan, he had the size and athleticism that looked like he had the potential to be a major star, but despite two stints on WWE television and a solid push in TNA in the years that followed, he never got over with the audience.

That's where professional wrestling is such a unique genre and thus, what does or doesn't get over depends on a variety of factors at any given time.

In many opinion, one of the many reasons that WWE programming got so bland after the Monday night war concluded was that without the competition of WCW to push the pace of the business, as well as how much of a distant second place TNA was at the time, the office took a cookie cutter approach to its roster in search of someone that fit what they wanted to promote, not necessarily what could've gotten over. Sure, the office found Batista, but there was an almost endless goon squad of wrestlers that fizzed out like the previously mentioned Matt Morgan, Nathan Jones, Jon Heidenreich, and others.

In recent weeks, Mason Rook, the British super heavyweight, has been the subject of discussion after he made a surprise debut on NXT television, attacking the NXT champion, Tony D'Angelo.

The former Will Kroos is known for his agility for someone over 300 LBS and has wrestled for nearly a decade, both in Europe and Japan.

At 29, the newly-named Rook is young enough to be a long-term project for the WWE, but still has a significant level of experience that would suggest that he will be ahead of the curve as far as in-ring progress for a national promotion, especially given the opportunity to work with the world-class trainers in the developmental system.

That being said, most of the WWE fans that watch NXT have already scoffed at his appearance and presentation, and this might be some validity to that.

Don't get me wrong, pro wrestling should have variety since that's what allows for more overall depth to the shows. Abdullah The Butcher, Cactus Jack, Yokozuna, The Original Sheik, Kevin Owens, and many others made their mark in the industry specifically because they didn't look like Hulk Hogan or Lex Luger. The contrast of performers is one of the ways to draw money, what in the wide world of sports is going to happen when Yoko gets in the ring with Hogan? In some ways, it's the same reason that Andre The Giant or some of the minis have their own place in the conversation of pro wrestling. Part of the allure of larger-than-life personas is that it's not something that you will see at the grocery store.

However, and this is the biggest problem, at least on the surface, Mason Rook looks a lot closer to a real-life Chris Griffin than Bam Bam Bigelow.

Visually speaking, you can see clones of Rook at a comic convention in line to meet their favorite female wrestler a lot more often than you're going to see someone like him as an in-ring competitor. Bam Bam had flames tattooed on his head, Cactus looked like a member of the Mansion family in his early days, Ed Farhat looked insane, and Kevin Owens looks like a charismatic brawler that is ready to get into a hockey fight. Rook looks like he plays Call Of Duty online while he sips on Code Red Mountain Dew.

There's simply nothing that looks fearsome or impressive about him, as far as his on-screen appearance. After the initial attack, Rook talking into the camera was just cringe worthy, and there was a video posted on social media as he made his way backstage where he talked into the camera again, but was completely out of breath by the time he reached the curtain. Granted, he could've been winded because he was amped up for the biggest platform of his career on live television, but to the typical WWE viewer, he sounded completely out of shape. The following week, he did a moonsault to the floor from the turnbuckles as a way to showcase some of his unique athleticism. But, the moonsault was sloppy so he looked uncoordinated, not unbelievably agile. Furthermore, his promo wasn't particularly impressive either, as his accent is so thick that again, it lacked the tone that you'd expect from a monster heel.

At this point, it might sound like I'm trying to throw the British grappler under the bus, but it's quite the opposite.

I can understand why the causal WWE audience would shake their head at the notion that Rook would be a force in NXT. That's also why he had more notoriety in Europe and a few tours of Japan, he might not be cut out for WWE TV. Two decades ago, Necro Butcher was one of the most in-demand pro wrestlers on the American independent circuit and worked several tours of Japan, but he definitely wasn't going to be on national TV with WWE or TNA. The semi-national platform of the independently-owned Ring Of Honor after he had a cameo in the film, "The Wrestler" was his biggest exposure. Obviously, WWE isn't the only form of success in the sports entertainment industry so he might eventually end up in AEW or TNA instead of the main roster of the WWE. If he develops as a TV performer, it's more than possible that he can surpass any perceived limitations that the fans might assume he has right now.

In truth, Mason Rook has nothing to lose, specifically because a portion of the audience has already written him off so he's either going to eventually end up in more or less the same place that he started, or he's going to proof the naysayers wrong en route to becoming a success story. The problem is, he was brought into NXT to start a feud with the champion so he's going to have to shift the perception of the audience rather quickly if he's going to succeed as a new commodity on the brand. He's not really going to have the benefit of adapting to the WWE playbook over the course of time, he was booked into a position to excel from the start or potentially fizzle out. Furthermore, at his age right now, he might be able to carry the extra weight, but if he wants a long-term career in the WWE he's going to have to trim down at some point. Bronson Reed is a great example of this, as he trimmed down for his second run in the company and has done the best work of his career. Clearly, the office thinks that Mason Rook has potential or they wouldn't have booked him in this spot, but I'd still say that it's going to be an uphill climb for him to get over with the audience.

AEW vs. Triller

You can't get blood from a stone.

That old saying translates to, if someone is broke, you're not getting any money. It's one of the many reasons why you should never lend friends or family (or probably anyone else) cash. If you do, consider it a gift and never expect to see it again.

We've often seen how loopholes have allowed business to get away with such things for years, which is basically how the stock market is played. If the stock tanks, your investment goes with it. The "cost" of doing business. Of course, regulatory bodies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, are put in place to attempt to prevent that, but we've also seen how regulation can be derailed with the way the criminal investigation into the former WWF kingpin, Vince McMahon was quietly dropped when his pal, the orange blob took office for a second term.

In short, when a business deal goes sideways, it's not uncommon for everyone involved to shrug and say "oops" when a few million dollars evaporates.

All Elite Wrestling finds itself as the commodity that claims its owned nearly $5 million in a new lawsuit filed against Triller, the online streaming platform, for unpaid revenue for pay-per-view sales, as well as money from an AEW+ subscription service. In truth, this news isn't too surprising, as AEW's launch of the MyAEW app for international viewers a few months ago more or less confirmed the end of its association with Triller. The announcement of an in-house app was not long after there was speculation about possible financial trouble for Triller, specifically last December when Triller stock was taken off the Nasdaq exchange for not filing financial reports. Obviously, Tony Khan is a billionaire and the $5 million won't make or break him, but there's no doubt that All Elite has the right to attempt to get the money that its owed.

Post Wrestling has a detailed report that covers a lot of the in depth  legal jargon, but to cut through the red tape, the All Elite Wrestling side of the lawsuit claims that Triller executives misappropriated funds that they were owed to cover other operational costs, including the attempted launch of a social media platform that never materialized. It makes you wonder, how far behind was Triller on its payments? Could this have been a situation where they used current money to try to chase a future upswing to cover previous debts? If these yo-yos assumed that they'd be able to turn a profit with an investment of money owned in the hopes of a big payoff down the road that never happened, it's easy to see how they could end up so far behind that it would be impossible to generate the type of revenue needed to square everything.

The lawsuit lists CEO, Kostadin Jordanov, and President and COO Eric Winter as the two main executives still standing for Triller. Post Wrestling's report cites that a few other key executives left the company almost immediately after the suit was filed, which should tell you the general consensus about Triller's chances to exist going forward. To make matters even more complicated, Flipps Media Inc, the parent company of Triller, also filed a lawsuit to basically take control of Triller's assets to be able to explore bankruptcy options. If I had to guess, I'd say that this is nothing more than a preemptive measure for Flipps Media to shield itself from being dissolved when Triller collapses. Flipps Media's main claim is that Triller is insolvent and thus bankruptcy is the only realistic option. Slicing up the streaming site's assets, whatever those might be, could be the best case scenario for those owed money. 

If I  had to guess, the result from this will be minimal. Tony Khan isn't getting the money that he's rightfully owed because Triller might be insolvent. Someone spent the AEW revenue instead of sending it to Tony. It will be interesting if Kostadin Jordanov, Eric Winter, or anyone else could be held criminally responsible for this alleged misappropriation of money, but that's doubtful. The biggest takeaway from this lawsuit, at least on a major level, is that Triller won't exist to possibly swindle anyone else again.

However, there could be somewhat of a trickle down effect on the independent scene with the collapse of Triller.

Triller was on the radar briefly during the pandemic when it broadcasted the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones exhibition as an entertaining event when the world was shuttered and most live sports were postponed. Triller bought Fite TV, a platform that had streamed pro wrestling events previously, and Triller used pro wrestling as one of the cornerstones of its service. In some ways, Triller was too accessible, as it offered TNA, AEW, and GCW at various points, but it also gave a platform to almost any group with a wifi connection. An independent show in the parking lot of Big Bob's Tire Shop in front of 38 fans does nothing to establish the industry.

As I wrote when Triller was unlisted from the stock exchange in December, the biggest point, at least for the independent level, to be made is that if Triller tanks, it puts more pressure as far as added costs, on independent groups that have a bigger following to find an alternative or establish their own platform. Game Changer Wrestling is probably the biggest example, not only because of its status as the biggest independent organization in the United States, but also because it runs events on an almost weekly basis. Granted, something as well known as Youtube can allow for live streams with membership tiers to monetize content, but that's a more complex issue, in terms of the revenue split that a company can get from Youtube compared to an independent option. Ironically, following the announcement of the lawsuit, GCW owner, Brett Lauderdale posted a message on Twitter to explain that he hopes that there can be a resolution for the wrestling portion of Triller and that GCW will continue to stream its events on the platform. If GCW is getting paid as scheduled then it's good that they still have that revenue for the company.

Unfortunately, this type of situation has happened previously, specifically with the independent circuit, but went to a national level this time with AEW. The infamous FloSlam debacle years ago that also led to a lawsuit, the even more infamous Go Fight Live disastrous that hindered Ring Of Honor during the early years of the Sinclair Broadcasting ownership, and the potential domino effect of the Triller lawsuit now.

Where it goes from here is anyone's guess, but at some point, it would be nice if one of the bigger promotions, such as AEW or potential even WWE themselves, put the frame work in place for a stable streaming platform for independent groups. The reason being is that the independents are still essentially a feeder system for the major leagues, and the increased revenue through expanded distribution is one of the key ways that those promotions can keep the doors open. While it's understandable that an independent group on a budget might outsource the broadcast platform to another entity, it's also somewhat concerning when such a key revenue stream might be in danger if an entity such as Triller folds. I could be wrong, but given that the company allegedly owes AEW $5 million, the best case scenario is probably going to be that a new platform emerges after the shutdown of Triller as a streaming site.

Backlash review

Just three weeks after Wrestlemania, and in the midst of the controversy about the slew of releases, the WWE returned to pay-per-view for Backlash in Tampa. I was somewhat surprised that the first two matches on the card were simulcasted on the standard ESPN channels, mostly because I assumed it would be something that was reserved for Wrestlemania. It's a decent strategy, and given that ESPN quite literally has a vested interest in the success of the PPVs on the ESPN app, the amount of WWE coverage this week in the lead up to Backlash was noticeable on the network. More mainstream exposure to more of the causal audience is important, but I'm honestly not sure how effective it will be in the grand scheme of things. I'm not being sarcastic when I say that, I'm just not sure if the general public in 2026 will be drawn into the product with the current crop of stars the way that they could've been without this type of publicity years ago. On one hand, oversaturation, while good for the conference calls and the earning reports for investors, might be something that sways the average television viewer away from the current product. Realistically, how many casual fans are going to commit to watching several hours of WWE programming per week across different platforms? Sure, the typical American viewer might already have a subscription to Netflix, but are they going to dedicate the time to follow the WWE product? It was a much different dynamic when there was only one prime time show each week for fans to keep up with the storylines. On the other hand, WWE is currently doing something that Vince McMahon attempted to do for decades, integrate professional wrestling into the general sports conversation. Pro wrestling will probably always have some of the low brow stigma that has followed the industry for years, and some of that rightfully so, but at the same time, the more common WWE becomes on ESPN, the further it gets away from some of the cliche criticisms of the past.

That being said, there's a reason that most of the general public still considers Steve Austin, The Rock, or John Cena a representation of the business instead of the current stars of today.

As advertised, the show opened with Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker, and the structure of this segment was designed for the ESPN audience. This contest got a fast start with action that spilled out of the ring almost immediately. This was a solid bout, as far as it's presentation, but it seemed to have a bigger purpose than just the result that put Breakker over. This match was the longest match on the show, as it went over the 20-minute mark, and essentially this proved that Breakker can go if he's put in the main event scenario where a bout is given a similar amount of time. Taking into account that this was a showcase segment, as it should've been, I really think the inference wasn't needed and actually took away some of the overall shine. A clean win would've been more definitive and reinforced the notion that Breakker is ready to be a star to an even further degree. There were a few clunky moments, but overall this segment had a level of drama as the advantage tilted back and fourth, which could be seen as somewhat of a preview of Breakker in the main event. Eventually, Bron got the victory, and the biggest takeaway from this was that despite his younger age, he can swim in the deep water and deliver when the opportunity presents itself.

Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn was  another solid bout, everything they did was crisp and smooth. Trick retained the belt, which was the right decision. As far as the in-ring action, there's not too much to say, mostly because this was basically a better version of the match that had a few weeks ago at Wrestlemania since it was given more time to develop a natural pace for the segment as opposed to the way it was rushed last month. Sami is such a polished pro that he doesn't need the United States title, but planting the seeds for a heel turn throughout this feud was the right choice since it can freshen up his character. Along with that, Trick Williams is progressing very well on the main roster. He looks like a guy that is ready to be perceived as a star, not a forced push simply because the writing team has something for him to do. Trick looks natural in the role and has done well with what he was given so far. Obviously, there are a lot of factors to determine how over a performer gets as far as their fullest potential, but at this point, Trick Williams has a major upside as far as being a long-term asset for the company. It will be interesting to see how his tenure on the main roster develops, and more specifically how much stock the promotion invest in him going forward, especially with the Money In The Bank pay-per-view later this year.

There's a very fine line between entertainment and disaster with comedy wrestling, that's why so many miss the mark, often resulting in tedious drek. Danhausen was put in a no-win situation when he arrived on the scene at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view a few months ago, but he's such an entertaining performer that when he was given the chance to get over with the audience, it was very successful. Danhausen is the exception, not the rule, which is why scripting these type of segments, even for him, should be a delicate process. In some ways, the writing team booked themselves into a corner with another mystery gimmick. Randy Orton's mystery caller was so underwhelming that Pat McAfee stepped away from the business as soon as he could to avoid the association with the storyline. John Cena's announcement later in the night was questionable. So, when there was a mystery partner for Danhausen, there was speculation that it might be Cody Rhodes or CM Punk since neither of them were booked for the show. There was also some online chatter that it might be a legend that would make a cameo for a fun segment. Instead, we got Minihausen, and it's something that probably would've been better received initially if it was presented organically rather than pushed as a mystery that created unrealistic expectations.

The segment was almost panned, as fans booed loudly during the opening spots. Thankfully, El Torito, who had a run in the WWE years ago, is a tremendous in-ring performer and more or less saved the match with his incredible athleticism. There were some disjointed spots because The Miz and Kit Wilson aren't familiar with lucha, but Torito won the audience over by the end of the match. While I completely understand if someone wasn't a fan of this segment, if something is over, it's over with the crowd. If nothing else, this provided a way to pace the rest of the pay-per-view.

The Iyo Sky vs. Asuka bout was tremendous. It was hard-hitting and fast-paced with the Joshi style, but was still tailored to the WWE audience so the crowd didn't get lost throughout the segment. Iyo got the victory, and after the emotional embrace post-match, there was some discussion that this potentially could've been a retirement bout for Asuka. Since that time, more details have emerged from the rumor mill, with the notion that Asuka isn't retired, but is taking extended time off to deal with personal matters. It's very possible that it could be a family situation so it would be unfair to speculate any further. At 44, Asuka is at the latter portion of her career, but she undoubtedly has a few solid years left. As I've written several times before, Asuka is a true MVP of the modern era and one of the most consistent quality workers anywhere in the business. She should and will be regarded as a legend by the time she hangs up her boots. Given how she always makes the best with whatever she's given to do, and her stellar in-ring skills, hopefully she will return to have another major run in the organization before she gets a proper retirement.

Even a few days later, I'm still puzzled as to what exactly the John Cena classic is supposed to be. The explanation was murky and it almost sounded like Cena had too many points to cover in one promo. There are qualifying matches, but the fans can still vote for who is the winner even if they lose so what exactly is the point of the qualifying matches? Unless I'm missing something, this sounds like nothing more than a participation trophy, which would literally take away the value of winning matches. If nothing is truly at stake and the result of the actual contest doesn't matter, why should the audience pay to watch it? This is another example of when Cena promised something "historic" for the announcement, the fans probably thought it was going to be something more than just another tournament. Unfortunately, this segment was over hyped and under delivered. Taking into account that the announcement was a flop, I don't have much faith that the John Cena Classic will have a level of importance for the actual tournament.

The main event had a "big fight" atmosphere, and similar to how the opening contest was somewhat of a test for Bron Breakker working with Rollins, I'd say that the bout against Roman Reigns was a way for management to gauge where Jacob Fatu is as a potential main eventer. This could be a preview of things to come or a one-off, depending on if management got what they wanted out of this segment. They were able to build a level of drama as the advantage tilted back and fourth, proving that Fatu is a well-rounded performer as far as the "glue" of ring psychology to go along with his impressive move set. As I said last week, I wouldn't have booked this match unless Fatu was going to win the title because I think it can hinder a wrestler's progress if they lose in the pursuit of a title. I'm guessing that's why the post-match attacked was scripted to allow Fatu to still look strong before the show went off the air. At this point, the biggest piece of the puzzle is if management keeps Fatu in the title picture or not. If the office shuffles him back down to the mid-card, It's possible that him won't be able to recapture the momentum that he has right now. If nothing else, WWE brass should make it a top priority to start to run with guys like Oba Femi, Breaker, and Fatu, especially because with the amount of recent retirements, they will have to replenish the star power on the roster.

What's next for TKO?

After more than two dozen releases from the WWE roster in recent weeks, reports surfaced that there was a concerted effort from TKO to cut the budget, which will ultimately yield a higher profit margin for the next conference call to report Wrestlemania earnings to investors. As I wrote about when the initial rounds of departures were announced, the annual purge of talent after Wrestlemania is an unfortunate tradition, and merely a part of the business to make room for the call-ups to the main roster. As much as it's disappointing that someone gets fired from their dream job, a wrestler had to get cut from their contract before that to make room for those same performers. Shuffling of talent is simply the nature of the beast when it comes to sports entertainment, and in some cases, being fired from the WWE provides the silver lining of an opportunity for a talent to reinvent themselves. Drew McIntyre was cast as a secondary comedy figure before time away allowed him to reignite his career to eventually become one of the top performers on the roster.

However, The Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez reported that not only were several talents cut to reduce costs, but at least half a dozen talents so far were asked to restructure their existing contracts to take a pay cut in an effort for the corporation to pad the profit margin.

As we know, The New Day, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, were among two of the stars that declined to restructure their deals and were released. In the time since their exit, reports have surfaced that Xavier Woods, who has established a video game Youtube channel outside of the realm of WWE, might be offered a contract similar to that of Tyler Breeze a few years ago that would keep him under the WWE umbrella for appearances surrounding social media content, but he wouldn't be an active member of the roster. This might have something to do with the WWE 2K video game series, which is a major revenue stream for everyone involved so it makes sense to have an ambassador of sorts, or this could also be a way to keep him away from AEW with the potential for relatively easy cash from WWE. As of this writing, there's no indication if Woods will ink a new deal or go elsewhere.

Budget cuts are a part of any business, it goes along with the peaks and valleys of any industry. As a market shifts, it's only the wise move to adapt to those trends, and if there's a dip, it can be key to respond according.

The task to cut the budget within sports entertainment isn't anything new, either. Infamously, the WWF took the water coolers out of the Stamford office in 1996 when business was still in the slump of the mid-90s, and WCW began to take a measurable portion of the market with the addition of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to the roster. The latter era of the Memphis territory was known for some lean years. When "Stunning" Steve Austin still sported blonde hair in his rookie year, he ate raw potatoes at a time when he made $40 a night at the Sportatorium, the same famous venue where he watched the legendary Free Birds/Von Erich feud years earlier. When Eric Bischoff became the executive producer of WCW in 1994, he eliminated house shows and began marathon tapings at Disney to save as much money as possible. When there was an uptick in business a few years later, house shows and live Nitro every week were a regular part of the business model.

The major difference between when promotions cut costs to survive a downturn in business, and the WWE of today is simple, TKO already has record-setting profits from the media rights deals. They aren't firing dozens of performers to keep the lights on, it's an example of corporate greed to add a few more numbers to the page. As we've established, wrestlers getting cut is a part of the process, but given the economics of the situation, the company isn't going to get any sympathy since these were cuts made specifically to bring in more money for the corporation, not a business move that had to be made to be realistic about payroll. In fact, Mark Shapiro, Nick Khan, and a few of the other TKO executives were given millions of dollars in raises while the athletes that risk injury are left without a job.

Don't get me wrong, WWE is still the place to be, and in many respects, the merger with the UFC a few years ago put so much media muscle behind the machine that it's going to be tough to sway talent away from WWE being the goal. But, it's also possible that some of these business practices might jump the shark to the point that some of the talent consider working for the other billionaire in the industry. This is where the laundry list of mistakes from Tony Khan don't help the situation, but the fact that he's almost unanimously praised as a great guy might make the decision a little tougher for talent that could work for him or the conglomerate that will cut payroll when there are already record profits.

The WWE had a hot period, at least by the standard of serving its audience a few years ago, but when some of the fan favorites are fired, while the audience knows the those endless commercials only translate to more money for the corporation, there's a risk of souring the audience. It goes without saying that TKO is cemented as a media empire, there's not much debate about that, but if they continue to erode the goodwill with the audience, there could still be a potential downturn in business. In some ways, it could be reminiscence to WCW in 1998 when the group essentially overplayed their hand, assuming anything that they put on screen would translate to revenue. The Wrestlemania ticket sales proved that the audience has already become more hesitant from a financial perspective, it's not too much of a stretch that it could extend to other portions of the product if corporate greed becomes the narrative of WWE. Sure, the audience will still pay for Summer Slam, but maybe they skip the other pay-per-views that aren't considered "must-see" because of a dissatisfaction with the corporate spin on the product.

As far as the talent itself, the top-tier guys that actually move the needle, and there are very few of them that can truly do that, will be paid more than enough to be content within the TKO bubble. No, despite the rumors, Roman Reigns wasn't one of the talents that were asked to take a 50% pay cut. Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, Rhea Ripley, Randy Orton etc. are those that will be a priority for management. In short, it's someone of that level isn't a part of the discussion of those that will have to take a pay cut to continue to work for WWE. Of course, it's possible that some of the other names with star power could become discontent with TKO and decide to explore their options, but it's doubtful that it would make a major difference in the big picture. The reason being is that we've already seen a slew of former WWE stars make the jump to All Elite, and there was ultimately a ceiling as to how far it boosted the company. This isn't a situation where someone with the cache of Macho, Hall, or Nash will make the jump to the competition. Again, that level of talent is being paid more than enough to want to stay under the TKO banner.

Despite how blatant the corporate greed is with wrestlers getting fired while TKO management gets a raise, the debate between wrestlers and promoters over cash has been around as long as the business itself. Vince McMahon offered Bret Hart a 20-year contract in 1996 to keep him from signing with WCW until he told the former WWF champion that he couldn't afford the deal the following year. The 2026 equivalent of that is TKO restructuring contracts, partially based on the more limited schedule of the modern era. It goes without saying that TKO doesn't need to restructure contracts to afford them, but it will be interesting to see if more talents decide to exit the company rather than take the pay cut.

Ted Turner passed away

Ted Turner wasn't a wrestling guy, but he was undoubtedly one of the most important figures in the history of the industry.

I was sad to hear that news that media mogul, Ted Turner passed away yesterday at the age of 87 after several years of a battle with a form of dementia. Of course, his most famous contributions were based on the distribution and expansion of cable television. The 24-hour news cycle was launched with the start of CNN in 1980. The domino effect of that can't be understated, as not only did it create an industry that ranks among the highest-rated programs more than 45 years later, but the concept of cable news quite literally decided Presidential elections. Granted, there are substantive arguments to be made that the same concept eventual had a detrimental impact on society, which was more or less after Ted was retired, but the point is, Turner put the foundation in place decades ago for the notion that the public could get some form of instant information,

As far as professional wrestling, probably because Turner wasn't vocal or in the public eye nearly as much as other promoters, I don't think he truly gets the credit for the contributions that he made to the industry. Keep in mind, it was Turner's TBS Super Station in the pioneering days of cable that gave sports entertainment its first national platform, albeit on a smaller scale because of limited distribution at the time. Georgia Championship Wrestling was one of the cornerstones of the success of the Turner network from the late-70s through the mid-80s when Vince McMahon's purchase of the time slot on "Black Saturday" led to a brief run of WWF programming on the channel until the Jim Crockett line-up debuted on the station. When George Championship Wrestling's time slot was bought by Vince McMahon in July 1984, the promotion shuttered, which left the Carolina-based Crockett group as the largest remaining piece of the National Wrestling Alliance. 

Speaking of Crockett Promotions, when the group landed on TBS by the mid-80s, it was not only something that allowed the league to emerge as a competitor to Vince McMahon's national expansion as other regional territories folded under the pressure, it also put the groundwork in place for the narrative of the business in the following decade.

As we know, Crockett Promotions spent itself into bankruptcy when it tried to keep pace with the WWF during that era. Remember, Jim Crockett Promotions was the remaining force of the National Wrestling Alliance, with its storied history, both before the launch of cable, and after as the new form of media expanded throughout the country.

Ted Turner knew the value that professional wrestling had to his networks so he bought Crockett Promotions in late-1988 to keep the sport on his channels.

This is one of the aspects where Turner doesn't get nearly enough credit. If the NWA, which eventually morphed into World Championship Wrestling, had completely shut down in 1988, there wouldn't have been a promotion on the air to spark the Monday Night war almost a decade later. We saw in the aftermath of the WCW buyout that the pro wrestling business was often stable and sometimes bland without true competition. That's not a knock on the WWE either, but rather to point out what was probably an  unavoidable pitfall without competition. Furthermore, we saw how rare it was to have someone like Ted Turner with the passion for pro wrestling and the resources to give it a chance to be a national commodity, considering that it took two decades for All Elite Wrestling to launch on the Turner networks.

When you take into account that massive success that Turner had in the media business, especially after cable became more or less a household item by the 90s, he definitely wasn't a "money mark" as far as someone that was willing to throw money at a wrestling venture just to be a part of it. In fact, while it's said that Ted Turner enjoyed the matches, he wasn't someone that used the WCW platform to promote himself. You didn't see Turner battling the NWO or standing in the middle of the ring to open Nitro.

Turner had a loyalty to pro wrestling because it had been good to him for years previously so when WCW couldn't turn a profit for the first six years that he owned it, Ted took the write-off on his taxes and kept the doors open, which was a critical part of the industry.

The story of how Eric Bischoff took over as executive producer in 1994 and eventually got Turner to not only invest the money into the high-priced acquisitions of former WWF stars, but took steps to start the previously mentioned Monday night ratings battle is well-documented. However, let's keep it in perspective, Turner was the one that signed off on Bischoff's ambitious suggestion to go head-to-head with Raw each week. Without Turner being willing to give a pro wrestling show a prime time spot on his network, there might not have been the biggest boom period in the history of the industry.

We could parse detail on what went right or wrong with WCW in the late-90s. Macho was given a second run when Vince thought Savage was too far past his prime, Hogan reignited his entire career for a major heel run, the NWO ultimately pushed the WWF to embrace the attitude era, and American audiences were exposed to more international talent than ever before with a mixture of lucha, as well as Japanese talent, on Nitro. The company was mismanaged, dozens of wrestlers were paid to do nothing, and the booking eventually got so horrendous that the product fell off a cliff.

Regardless of the positives or the negatives of World Championship Wrestling, the biggest takeaway from the entire narrative of the organization under Turner ownership was that the media barron was the only one to ever put Vince McMahon on the ropes. Ted Turner was the only guy to ever get the better of Vince McMahon on a truly measurable scale in the history of pro wrestling. In 1994, Uncle Sam couldn't put Vince in as much jeopardy as the Turner networks did by 1997. For years, the WWF didn't acknowledge anything outside the realm of its own organization, but when Nitro took a noticeable portion of the audience on Monday nights,  the infamous "billionaire Ted" skits aired in 1996 to mock Turner, Savage, Hogan, and Gene Okerlund. Vince McMahon didn't sell for the federal government, but he reacted to Ted Turner. Obviously, the skits were designed to downplay WCW as the retirement home for older WWF stars, but the recognition alone told the audience that there was another player in the game. That notion was reinforced when Scott Hall and Kevin Nash made the jump to WCW just a few months later. As we know, when AOL merged with Time Warner in January of 2000, the domino effect led to the consolidation of the amount of authority Ted had over the Turner side of the assets. When WCW lost $60 million that year, it was easy for the executives to decide to cut their losses and sell to Vince McMahon for pennies on the dollar. Make no mistake about it, Ted Turner had a track record of staying behind wrestling, even through the financial slumps so if he had the power to keep WCW in the portfolio, he would've kept it open in 2001. That's why there's speculation about the status of AEW's television deal in the future with the upcoming Paramount/Warner Brothers Discovery merger.   

All Elite Wrestling did a very nice tribute to Turner on Dynamite last night with Tony Schiavone and Sting to open the show. There are a lot of criticisms about All Elite, many of them valid, and as mentioned, there's speculation about the future of its TV contract, but it was certainly fitting that the first truly competitive option since the closure of WCW twenty years earlier found a home on the Turner networks. Outside of the business world, Turner donated to many charitable causes and looked to donate most of his fortune upon his death. As I said, Ted Turner wasn't a wrestling guy, he didn't book angles, run a territory, or take bumps in the ring, but his impact and the domino effect that it had shaped the direction of the entire industry.

UFC 328

Amidst the online chatter about the pay cuts that the WWE talent are being asked to take, some in the 50% range of their previous contracts, TKO has a stacked weekend. While Backlash will be in Tampa with a 6 PM start time, the octagon will be further up the east coast in Newark, New Jersey for the UFC 328 pay-per-view. One of the few perks for consumers with the WWE and UFC being under the same banner is that hopefully the start time is by design to get Backlash finished up within three hours to allow viewers to switch over to Paramount+ for the MMA card. That would be refreshing after almost an hour and a half worth of commercials over the two nights of Wrestlemania. 

The MMA event will be headlined by a Middleweight title clash between the defending champion,  Khamzat Chimaev and the challenger, Sean Strickland.

In truth, this match-up has more to do with Strickland being a controversial figure in the sport than the justification of a title shot. Quite frankly, he's known more for the outlandish things he says outside of the octagon than his record as a fighter. In September of 2023, as a 5-to-1 underdog on most sports books, Strickland dethroned Israel Adesanya for the 185 LBS belt with the upset of the unanimous decision on the score cards. That was the start of a four-fight losing streak that Adesanya is currently on, with a TKO loss in the second round to Joe Pyfer in March. While the victory for Strickland was surprising, his reign as champion was short-lived when he dropped the belt to Dricus du Plessis at UFC 297. He rebounded with a decision win over Paulo Costa in June of 2024 before he lost a rematch against Dricus du Plessis for the belt in February of last year. Strickland was away from the cage for a year before he beat Anthony Hernandez via second round TKO a few months ago.

Strickland only has one victory since he lost the rematch for the title, does that truly justify another title shot, particularly when he failed to successful defend the belt before that?

I don't think so, but this is another example of how the fight business is still the entertainment business, even in the "entertainment value," or lack thereof is in poor taste.

Strickland, for all intents and purposes, is a guy that is a reflection of his pro record, which isn't always the case, but it's fairly accurate here. With a record of 30-7, and 24-7 of that being in the UFC, he's a solid fighter that is in the upper mid card as someone that is going to beat the average fighter, but won't truly crack into the top-tier of the division. Yes, he defeated Adesanya, but couldn't successfully defend the belt or recapture it when he had a rematch. Besides Dricus du Plessis, he lost to Alex Pereira and Kamaru Usman. Don't get me wrong, Strickland isn't a tomato can, but it's not as though he has an established legacy that would justify him a title shot on merit alone. So far, Strickland has had a 12-year UFC career and is still relatively young with at least a few more years of competition ahead of him, but again, none of what he did previously would make it a logic jump for him to compete for the title for a third time after only one victory to rebound from a prior loss.

Again, Strickland is a solid fighter, but he's known for his comments outside of the cage more than anything else. He took the Chael Sonnen approach to hyping himself up with over-the-top claims, but the difference is that everyone knew that Chael's clown routine was nothing more than an act to generate interest, whereas Strickland's comments go beyond trolling to the point that you have to wonder about head trauma in the sport.

Strickland made several homophobic and misogynistic remarks. He used homophobic slurs, and implied a racist remark when Bad Bunny was the headliner of this year's Super Bowl halftime show. He dismissed the upcoming Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano bout on Netflix with derogatory comments about women's MMA, despite the fact that Rousey was one of the company's biggest pay-per-view draws during her peak in popularity. When asked about Strickland's comments, Dana White cited free speech, which isn't surprising when you consider that he's throwing a birthday party for Trump with an event at the White House in June. Trump has been accused on making similar comments in the past as well, but even Strickland has scaled back his support of Trump with criticism of Israel based on the ongoing conflict in Iran.

So, maybe Strickland's ignorance spans across the spectrum.

As much of a doofus as Strickland is, and as unfortunate as it is, there's an entire demographic, particularly within the usual target audience of the UFC, that align with Strickland's dismal ideology. There's an entire "bro culture" that assume spewing the same nonsense as Strickland makes them "edgy," while they assume that they obtain some type of groundbreaking knowledge listening to Joe Rogan's podcast. In reality, these dorks with the horrendous Jake Paul hair cuts would fold like a house of cards if there were actually confronted, but ignorance is bliss.

It's a sad statement about society, but someone like Strickland, specifically because of his fecal-level rhetoric, will sell tickets for the UFC. It will be the same reason that the crowd in Newark will chant "USA!" not because of any level of patriotism, but rather in spite of  Khamzat Chimaev being from another country.

In short, someone like Strickland fighting a Russian muslim will move the needle, both for those that will mindlessly chant for Strickland, and others that want to see him choked out. It's extremely disappointing, but Strickland's thinly-veiled bigotry is more or less the selling point for the pay-per-view.

As far as the fight itself, Chimaev made a name for himself during the pandemic era when he fought several times in a short span, racking up wins at a quick pace. Bringing an undefeated record of 15-0 into UFC 328, Chimaev unseated the previously mentioned Dricus du Plessis for the Middleweight championship via unanimous decision in August of last year. Before that, he had victories over Kamaru Usman, Kevin Holland, and Gilbert Burns. Besides being undefeated, Chimaev has a mixed of wins via strikes, submissions, and decisions so he has a well-rounded skill set. More specifically, he proved in his last fight that he can go the distance if the bout reaches the championship rounds. The champion has an extensive freestyle wrestling background, as well as a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. Taking into account that Strickland also has a wrestling background and is known for his striking defense, I'd expect this bout to be a grappling contest, at least in the early rounds.

Because of that, I have to pick Khamzat Chimaev to retain the championship. The bottom line is, nobody has been able to figure out the formula to defeat him, and as mentioned, Strickland's losses have been against the top level competition. I think it's fair to say that Chimaev has done enough to prove that he's in that category. Furthermore, five of the seven losses of Strickland's career were via decision, and taking into account the shared grappling background, I'd guess that this one will stretch into the championship rounds, with the advantage going to the champion. Strickland has proven himself to be durable, but I'd guess that over the course of 25 minutes, Chimaev will be able to get the decision on the score cards.