What's next for WWE?

As promised, after an article with suggestions on what All Elite Wrestling should focus on in 2023, I'm going to take a look at the WWE landscape as well. The organization had an almost unthinkable shake-up this year with the Vince McMahon misconduct scandal and the "retirement" that followed it.

The kingpin of sports entertainment was in the news again recently with reports that he wants to make a comeback to the organization that he bought from his dad in 1983 before he took the regional territory to the publicly-traded, global corporation that it is today. As I wrote just a few weeks ago, it's not surprising that Vince wants back in the door at Titan Tower, considering that he dedicated every facet of his life to the company, but his return would put yet another spotlight on what started his downfall. Granted, if Vince showed up on Raw next week, the fans in attendance would gleefully cheer and bow as he strutted down the ramp, ignoring that he was accused of several incidents of misconduct. Again, if there's that much smoke, there has to be fire, and if McMahon actually did even one of the things that he was accused of, he's a total creep. So, of course, the sport of pro wrestling will look great if fans in the crowd are shown on television praising someone with those type of misconduct incidents towards female employees.

The WWE as a whole was able to stake through the McMahon scandal without much harm since the corporation is fool-proof for the next several years because of the massive broadcast rights fees it secured through the television and Peacock deals. Mostly, the Wall Street Journal stories were a Vince McMahon problem, not a WWE problem. The argument could be made that Vince put the product in autopilot too often in recent years, booking the old tropes from his heyday since they worked before and there's nothing to lose when the money is guaranteed. Ironically, it was the structure that had the company in autopilot the past few years that actually protected the stock price when McMahon stepped down.

Some fans might be misguided to think that with Triple H at the top of the company that the main roster shows will suddenly become the NXT of several years ago, but make no mistake about it, the goal for the WWE remains the same with or without Vince McMahon. The WWE has always and should look to draw the casual fans in an attempt to get as much of the general public as possible to follow the product because that's where the biggest money is made. Drawing from the widest demographic possible is how to maximize revenue across the board. At the same time, wrestling is still quite literally on the marquee, and McMahon's attempts to try to avoid that in every way possible hindered the presentation of the product over the years. Furthermore, because McMahon won the wrestling wars during his tenure as the boss, he used those previously mentioned recycled tropes since there wasn't an alternative to take a piece of the pie away from him. Sure, All Elite Wrestling is on television, but it's only been in existence for three years. McMahon's default plan for roughly five years after 2014 was to put the title on Lesnar again if the product was sluggish. Vince didn't take a chance on trying to push new stars to the next level because he didn't have to, he had a formula that worked fairly well and there wasn't any outside factors to prompt a shift in direction.

On some level, when the company touts record-setting profits, it's tough to argue with Vince's logic, but it's important to remember that it was the climate of the television business, specifically the demand for live programming that would secure better ad rates as a way to be more DVR proof that landed WWE the major TV deals, not the popularity of the product. At some point, Goldberg isn't going to be there to boost a pay-per-view, or management isn't going to be able to get Steve Austin to return to sell tickets to a stadium show. The office seemed to rely on those aging legends too often, and keep in mind, when a part-time star was booked for a top spot on a major show, it was an opportunity that wasn't used to elevate a younger star with potential to the next level.

While the WWE philosophy as the Walmart of pro wrestling so to speak, will remain the same since its goals are to make the product cheap and easily accessible to the general public, the Triple H era at least seems to be in the direction to freshen up the shows. Roman Reigns is doing the best work of his career, and The Bloodline are the top act in the company, but truly establishing depth to the product is a process that will take time to develop over the year. One way or another, Sami Zayn should emerge from this current storyline as one of the top stars in the company. If Vince was still making the decisions, I'm not sure Sami would get the chance to be anything more that a secondary comedy character.

Quite simply, in 2023, Vince McMahon should stay wherever he is and continue to pump iron in his Icopro t-shirt because the WWE should absolutely make a solid push toward the next generation that will draw money for the company. The talent is there, but the key is truly the presentation of those stars.

Along with that, next year should be the coronation of Cody  Rhodes as a main event talent. Granted, it had to be delayed a year because of the injury and it might be predicable, but sometimes the easiest answer is the right answer. Roman Reigns has done a tremendous job as champion and in the course of his reign, he cemented himself as one of the biggest stars of his generation. That said, Cody's return from injury to win the title for his dad is a story that writes itself. The angle where Cody is finally the competitor to dethrone Roman to win the championship in honor of Dusty is a narrative can be extremely successful.

As far as the next generation, I've said it before and I will say it again, Bron Breakker should be in the fast lane to the main event scene on the main roster before the conclusion of 2023. There will only ever be one Kurt Angle, and making that comparison, especially at this point, would be unfair to Bron, but strictly as a natural in sports entertainment, Breakker developed as a performer almost as natural as when Angle inked a WWF deal in the late-90s. One way or another, we should be talking about Bron Breakker potentially winning the Royal Rumble this time next year in 2024.

Finally, and of the suggestions I'd have for WWE, this is the one I'd say has the best chance to continue on television, the company should continue to spotlight the women's division. I've mentioned it a lot recently so I won't be repetitive, but the bottom line is, the women's division might be the best segment on any of the shows and the depth on the roster allows for those athletes to continued to be showcased throughout 2023. Bianca, Bayley, and others can go in the ring and are extremely marketable stars.

What's next for AEW?

As we are just a few days away from the start of 2023, when some many people will claim  that they have new year's resolutions that will last about as long as a modern (or old school) Bill Goldberg match, many pro wrestling pundits will put together retrospectives of the previous year. I've never done that, as I think it's low-hanging fruit that amounts to a retread of previous discussions. If you'd like to read my thoughts on the major stories of 2022, those columns available online since I covered them when they happened.

Instead, I'm going to borrow a concept that I read in a local Pittsburgh paper nearly twenty years ago. In middle school, my dad would save the pro wrestling column that was in the printed pages for me and I'd clip them out, saving them for years. The fellow's name was Ronnie, but I can't recall his last name, although I specifically remember he often had a pessimistic view of the sport. Considering this was 2003, I guess I can't blame him. Anyway, the premise of that particular column was what the WWE should do to improve their product in 2004, which had hit a low point with the Triple H reign of doom throughout much off the prior year. It's ironic that so many fans will credit and applaud Triple H now, but if you attempt to watch the era when he dominated so much of the programming, it's a very, very tedious viewing experience.

And, somehow roughly half of the viewers are watching the show now compared to that time period.

So, with that premise in mind, I'm going to wrap up 2022 (let's hope I finally get my Twitter account back in 2023) with my suggestions for what All Elite Wrestling should do to improve their chances in the new year, as well as another column that will focus on the WWE product.

As I wrote in an article about Honor Club earlier this week, 2022 wasn't a banner year for All Elite Wrestling and some might say that it was the first year in its rather brief existence that the organization didn't finish with a net positive in terms of exposure or progress. The CM Punk/Elite debacle being the main example, and something that everyone offered an opinion on at the time so there's no need to rehash any of that. However, and this is much more critical for success than some might realize because it boils down to some tough decisions being made, Tony Khan must run a tighter ship.

Hopefully, Khan learned, even if it was the hard way, that pro wrestling, a genre that originated from the carnival circuit, is a shark tank. He can either sign his favorite wrestlers to hefty contracts so that they can be his friends, or he can run a business that looks to be profitable. Too often, especially with the overused gimmick matches and the bloated roster, AEW programming resembles Tony's E-fed that he booked on his computer as he collects real-life action figures to script for his shows. To run a tighter ship, the rules should be simple, if someone gets into a fight backstage, regardless of who they are, they should be released from the promotion. If someone is difficult to do business with then they aren't worth the hassle and you should cut them from the roster. In truth, they are only a few true difference makers currently on the All Elite roster and that talent is professional enough not to disrupt business. Chris Jericho, Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, and Brit Baker are the stars that represent the All Elite brand with a certain level of star power. Plus, with such a bloated roster, it's not as though there aren't wrestlers there that can replace someone if they are released for backstage disagreements. If The Elite get into another fight, they should be gone the same way anyone else should be cut from the roster. You've heard rumors that Thunder Rosa was difficult to work with, release her from her contract and send that message that it's either do business to help the company progress or go back to the independent scene.

Speaking of the bloated roster, if Tony Khan doesn't cut it down to a manageable number, it will come back to bite him in the long run. WCW and TNA had the same problem. You can now watch WCW on Peacock because Vince McMahon sold the broadcast rights for a five-year deal that was worth $1 billion. Technically, TNA doesn't exist anymore since Anthem Entertainment, the parent company of The Fight Network in Canada, rescued it from bankruptcy, but if you have access to the channel, you can watch Impact Wrestling in small venues that make it look like a glorified independent group.

The concept of cutting the roster down is easy. Anyone that isn't a regular on either Dynamite or Rampage should be potential cuts from the organization. Don't get me wrong, it's great when a wrestler can have the moment where they achieve their dream of landing a national contract, but the reality is, especially on a national level, it's a business. Slim J, AR Fox, Shawn Dean, Lee Johnson, Aaron Solo, Peter Avalon, Fuego Del Sol, Serpentico, JD Drake, and at least a dozen others could be released and it will make zero difference in the status of the organization. That's not to say that some of those guys don't have talent, but the bottom line is, there are only so many spots that can realistically be used for a national promotion.

As far as who Tony should focus on in 2023, that is a tough decision, but it's a good problem to have because lost in the shuffle of the countless signings, there are key talent that legitimately have the potential to be the future of the organization. Lee Moriarty is exceptionally talented and with the right exposure has the opportunity to be a major asset for the organization. Brian Pillman Jr. was trained by Lance Storm so he can go in the ring, and the story of his second generation status could be an intriguing narrative throughout his All Elite career. Hook is wildly popular at television tapings and should be used for more meaningful segments on Dynamite. Powerhouse Hobbs is a guy with main event potential and should at least be closer to that goal in 2023. Tony Khan should consistently make it a priority to showcase these four throughout next year.

The finally piece of the puzzle should be to simplify everything about the product. Too often, Khan attempts to use some type of intricate New Japan style booking in an attempt to win "booker of the year" from The Wrestling Observer, and the result is usually episodes of Dynamite that are all over the place. How Rush was trying to recruit Preston Vance or the Matt Hardy/Andrade stuff before that just seemed like segments thrown together to attempt to get as many guys on television as possible without any logic behind it. Rick Ross swearing on live television while everyone in the ring looked lost isn't main stream exposure, it's just sloppy scripting of the show. The whole attempt at "shades of gray" instead of baby faces and heels as an attempt to be cutting edge is more often than not an excuse for when someone doesn't get over to the level that the booker designed an angle to accomplish.

The sports entertainment business, regardless of the promotion or era, is still built on a few key factors because the industry is structured to use psychology to draw money. The emotional investment, not the actual moves, is what draws money. Tony Khan should use simple aspects of the sport, take a heel with heat and an over baby face and let them feud for the championship. MJF is the biggest heel in the company, and Bryan Danielson is one of the most beloved performers of his generation. The story writes itself. There doesn't need to be weekly gimmick matches or table spots to build to the pay-per-view match. Allow those guys to use the skills that got them to that position on the card to sell the PPV. Furthermore, the talent that the crowd identifies with the most should be the performers that are spotlighted on television on a regular basis. Eddie Kingston, Ricky Starks, and a few others are potential challengers for MJF as the heel champion.

What's the status of ROH TV?

After several months of speculation, Tony Khan recently revealed that Ring Of Honor, the promotion that he bought earlier this year, will resume original programming with its shows landing on Honor Club, the streaming service that was set up by Sinclair Broadcasting before they sold it to the All Elite kingpin. Khan, the ambitious and eccentric owner of AEW, clearly wanted to have his own "wrestling moment" when he gleefully announced the acquisition on television, proclaiming "there's no Shane, it's me" a nod to the WCW purchase when Shane McMahon was revealed as the new "owner" when there were originally plans for a relaunched World Championship Wrestling to have its own two-hour time slot on Saturdays on TNN.

Make no mistake about it, Ring Of Honor wasn't WCW, and Tony isn't Shane McMahon.

The similarity is, much like how the relaunch of WCW never materialized, Ring Of Honor wasn't picked up for its own television show either. As we know, the two-hour WCW slot went to the horrendous Excess show that never quite had a point and then that spot was divided into the B-show Velocity and Confidential for the WWE's tenure on the network. How the Honor Club experiment unfolds remains to be seen, but it could create more problems than its worth.

I know this is a slight retread of my previous comments on this topic, but it should be mentioned within this discussion as well. The ROH brand wasn't a draw after The Elite left to form All Elite Wrestling. That's not a knock on the talent that remained on the roster, but the point is, the wrestling landscape got more crowded and ultimately, Sinclair opted not to invest money in its wrestling project when it counted. If Sinclair would've offered The Elite and Cody Rhodes the right number a few years ago, All Elite Wrestling wouldn't exist today. The bottom line is, Sinclair Broadcasting bought ROH from Cary Silkin for the original programming the promotion could provide that would secure better ad rates than reruns of other shows on the stations, not to get into the pro wrestling business.

When The Elite had a chance to sign with a billionaire for big money, Sinclair opted not to attempt to compete in the wrestling industry, and that was eventually a decision that prompted them to sell the organization. Still, the point being, the Ring Of Honor brand couldn't sustain itself so it was sold. The brand couldn't draw the revenue to make it profitable so it's biggest asset isn't it's "value" as an organization in 2022, but rather the video library that has footage of some of the biggest stars of the current generation. The influence of ROH, which is represented through that video library, is its legacy.

As I've said before, Khan's attempt to relaunch the group with its involvement on AEW programming dilutes the product and makes it more difficult to establish All Elite. Again, it should be emphasized that All Elite Wrestling is the best chance that Tony Khan has of long term success in sports entertainment so that should be the only focus of Dynamite.

The attempt to put ROH television behind a paywall is silly because there will be a cost associated with taping the content with transportation, production staff, etc. Plus, the company would theoretically have to sell tickets to have fans in attendance for these shows. Would Honor Club generate enough revenue to cover the costs of taping new content? Furthermore, is there truly enough interest in the ROH brand that fans would rather buy tickets to those tapings than Dynamite events? Sure, Tony could book the ROH tapings for Universal Studios, which hosted Dark before or schedule ROH matches before Dynamite tapings, but then you're asking fans to pay $10 a month for a show that at least aesthetically looks like the secondary Youtube shows.

The problem this creates is two-fold. On one hand, if Tony Khan can put ROH on a streaming service, the fans will clamor for All Elite programming to be put on its own streaming platform, which would imply the transition away from the traditional $50 pay-per-view broadcasts, but as we know, that is one of the most profitable revenue streams for the company so it's not a realistic option as long as AEW pay-per-views sell reasonable well. Secondly, assuming that fans would think it was worth spending the $9.99 a month on Honor Club, it would slice into their "wrestling budget" throughout the year. It doesn't sound like much, but when there are quarterly AEW pay-per-views, that means that four months of Honor Club would be close to the cost of an original All Elite PPV so over the course of the year, that would almost double their costs on wrestling content for Khan-owned groups if they ordered at least two All Elite shows.

From what we know of reported buy rates, the All Elite broadcasts generate a very similar number on a consist basis, which translate to the fact that there's a core group of fans that are willing to spend money on All Elite pay-per-views. Granted, that's a niche, even if it's a profitable niche. Now, you must take into account how many of those diehard fans would be willing to spend another $120 a year on wrestling shows for Honor Club?

It might be a harsh reality for the diehard All Elite fans, but the totality of AEW wasn't a good year in 2022. There was questionable booking, underutilized talent, (Has anyone seen Miro?) and chaos behind the scenes on multiple occasions that fueled speculation about the lack leadership in the company. Both WCW and TNA are examples of what can happen with a lack of leadership of an organization so it was certainly concerning to read reports of so much disarray backstage. Adam Page wasn't booked well as champion and his stock is probably at its lowest than any other point in his AEW tenure. MJF walked out and took the focus away from Wardlow, who is also at a low point in his All Elite career. The Elite were suspended after a backstage fight with CM Punk, who buried the company at a press conference while Tony sat there looking lost during the press conference. Speaking of Punk, he made big money and didn't truly move the needle, as the ratings were more or less the same and he spent three months of the year he was under contract injured. Andrade wasn't happy with how he was booked so he provoked a backstage confrontation with Sammy Guevara to attempt to get fired. The signing of Jeff Hardy didn't work out as planned. Most importantly, in September of last year, Tony Khan just added Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Adam Cole to the roster, but the numbers are basically at the same level a year later so how much progress was made for the company?

Mandy Rose released

The professional wrestling business, an industry that originated from the carnival circuit, was never known for its high ethical standards. Thankfully, as the sport evolved, including the start of the WWE Wellness policy, as well as better choices from the current generation, the genre has cleaned up some of its more notorious aspects.

That said, and as we saw with the Vince McMahon scandal, the corporate image that WWE touts as a part of its massive television deals and lucrative sponsorships often clash with the nature of the content. Despite the PG era, even when John Cena was in the midst of his big run at the top of the company, the narrative of the shows are usually told through some form of violence. Regardless of the WWE's mega success as a corporate entity on Wall Street. it's still fair to ask if a business like professional wrestling can truly thrive when shareholders, not the fans, are served first. One could argue that yes, it can be successful based on the WWE's record-setting profits in recent years, which is absolutely a valid point, but the other side of the coin is that at the very least, it's a difficult balancing act to produce contemporary pro wrestling that won't rock the boat for the stockholders. Considering that it's those investors that made WWE worth a few billion dollars, they maintain the priority as to what the WWE office serves first.

If you want to know the level of power the board of directors has that serves the shareholders, keep in mind that it was revelations of misconduct that were sent to them that ultimately saw Vince McMahon ousted from his own organization.

That's why the surprising release of Mandy Rose is somewhat of a tricky situation because there are several contradictory dynamics within the scenario.

Originally inked to a WWE deal through the Tough Enough competition in 2015, she worked on the main roster for almost four years with a rather undistinguished run before she returned to the NXT brand in 2021. Credit to Mandy, she was a completely average performer during the majority of her original main roster stint, but completely reinvented herself in NXT and did the best work of her career.

That's why many fans were shocked when she dropped the NXT Women's title last week after an extended reign and was released from the company two days later. Reportedly, WWE management were aware of her FanTime, a site similar to OnlyFans, page prior to this, but weren't happy with the more recent nude content she posted. Since the page is behind a pay wall, one of the subscribers, who appeared to have paid extra for "custom content" leaked the videos online, which led to her firing from the organization. 

In some ways, this goes back to the controversial policy that Vince McMahon put in place in 2020 that prevented talent from third party ventures such as Twitch, non-WWE merchandise, and sites like OnlyFans. On one hand, as ridiculous and illegal as it probably is, while WWE talent are classified as independent contractors, which means that the office wouldn't have the right to prevent them from doing other projects, the bottom line is, it's not going to change. The WWE performers are going to be employees in every sense of the word except they won't be given any of the benefits of that status, and the billion dollar company that they work for will get to skate around offering health insurance or payroll taxes. It's unfair, but it's not going to change because it's not a political issue since pro wrestling is often looked at as low brow entertainment so it won't get the investigations or regulation of the NFL or other sports.

Mandy charges $30 for a subscription to her FanTime content and while I don't get the point of this because there are only so many pictures or videos of a person you can see before it's literally the same content recycled several times, there's no doubt that OnlyFans and similar sites are major revenue streams for female performers. Don't get me wrong, if they can get those monthly subscriptions, good for them, that's capitalism. Hey, nobody is paying me for pictures of surgery scars and bunions so I'm not criticizing the hustle. In theory, if a female wrestler is producing content outside of the WWE bubble on their own time, as an independent contractor, the office shouldn't have a right to prevent that. At the same time, Mandy Rose has the notoriety she does because of the exposure of WWE television, which is what ultimately allowed for the number of subscriptions that generated a hefty sum on money for her on the pay site. She wasn't just another pretty face on the internet behind a pay wall, she was WWE star Mandy Rose, which allowed her to standout from the thousands of other pages on those sites.

So of course, the WWE exposure played a role in her success outside of the company, but does nude content behind a pay wall justify her release?

It's important to note that many of these sites only allow adults to subscribe so it's not as though her nude content was posted publicly for any of the younger audience to randomly find on Instagram. Plus, when Seth Rollins, Paige, or other WWE stars had private photos leaked online, they weren't released from their contract. The difference being that Mandy has a pay service, and the others were victims of a hack of their private photos so in some ways that's an apples to oranges comparison. Still, as far as the potential "morality" or lack thereof in the situation, the Usos had several DUIs, but weren't released. The bottom line is, Mandy Rose choosing to post nude content on a subscription site isn't nearly as outrageous as some of the other headlines that WWE stars made in the past.

The true hypocrisy of all of this is that Vince McMahon was accused of misconduct with employees and it took The Wall Street Journal investigation to take it public. Yet, Mandy gets fired for posting nude content on a private web site?

Unfortunately, it might not be fair, but it's within the WWE's right to terminate her contract if they decide her decisions reflect negatively on the corporation. To be clear, I don't see the logic of that because Vince got the boot for actual misconduct, and the company is making literally billions of dollars so it's not as though Mandy hustling a few extra dollars is going to affect the company's bottom line. The fact that the talent contracts are completely one-sided is another matter completely, but the point is, Mandy knew what she signed when she inked a WWE contract, and the terms of the deal give the company the right to release her.

It's a harsh reality, but when you take into account the amount of money the company generated, and the depth of the women's division on the main roster, Mandy Rose was expendable. If I had to guess as to the reason she was released, I'd say that they don't want to set a precedent that would potentially allow the rest of the roster to get involved in OnlyFans or similar sites. If more of the roster were involved in those type of projects, it might garner negative publicity when the company is already trying to distance itself from the negativity of the Vince McMahon situation.

VHS Memoirs Volume 31

Last week marked 26 years since In Your House:It's time, a pay-per-view that used the two-hour format before the In Your House series became a full-fledged PPV with the usual three-hour time slot and ultimately put the monthly pay-per-view schedule in place to go head-to-head with World Championship Wrestling for a slice of the PPV pie. It's interesting to note that the competition from the Turner organization, not necessarily the demand for premium cards every month, was what fueled this decision. It might seem like business as usual when you're trying to cut into the profit margin of the other group, but the domino effect of this was huge because it completely changed the way pro wrestling was booked. That along with the weekly live television broadcasts almost made the concept of long-term booking an antiquated concept. After the 90s, it was no longer an epic saga that culminated in a big match at Wrestlemania or Starrcade, it was how do we sell a pay-per-view card this month. It might sound trivial since monthly events are so common place now, but the structure of booking wasn't the same after that decision was made, and you could argue that there are some major pitfalls to that philosophy.

This particular In Your House event isn't really spoken of in the same way as some of the more memorable shows. Mind Games, Buried Alive, The Canadian Stampede, and Final Four remain topics of discussion for the impact they had on the era.

The show opened with Al Snow working as Leif Cassidy, the doomed New Rockers gimmick during a short stint as a tag team with Marty Jannetty, against Flash Funk, the WWF persona that Too Cold, Scorpio used during this period. This was after Jannetty left the organization so Al Snow was left with a gimmick that was more or less dead in the water at that point. You can see some of the unbalanced bitter heel show through, which was the original premise of the gimmick he attempted to use when he was on loan ECW. Some might remember he still wore the Rockers outfit at the Hardcore Heaven 1997 pay-per-view against Rob Van Dam. For whatever reason, Flash Funk, who was relatively new to the organization, at this time, had a rather extended entrance, and it dragged with minimal crowd reaction before the time the bell rang. Vince McMahon trying to dance at ringside made the stunner he took at Wrestlemania earlier this year look like poetry in motion. 

The match itself was solid, resembling something similar to an ECW type match these two could’ve had there, but it was in front of a crowd that wasn’t invested in either performer. There was solid technical wrestling, but there was barely any crowd response. Al Snow had an impressive overhead suplex on the Scorpio over the ropes  to the floor and followed up with a dive, but that only garnered a momentary reaction. Scorpio also had a dive outside the ring and the finish saw him hit his trademark 450 splash to get the win, which finally got a pop the crowd . If I had to guess, this match was booked on pay-per-view to theoretically add the in-ring action to the card, but the characters, not necessarily the performers themselves weren’t over with the audience. More than anything, it’s interesting to consider that within a year, Al Snow was on his way to becoming extremely popular in ECW  with the head gimmick that defined his career, but during this time, period, despite being a very solid, entertaining worker, he had no direction from a character perspective. 

Speaking of characters with no investment or reaction from the crowd, the fake Diesel and Razor Ramon were scheduled to compete against The British Bulldog and Owen Hart for the tag team titles. The imposter Diesel, who, as we know, went on to become Kane, and the phony Razor Ramon were as terrible in retrospect as they were originally. Granted, the use of replacement performers, for those specific characters had more to do with the lawsuit at the time against WCW than trying to salvage the Diesel and Razor personas, but the whole thing was bizarre. The crowd in attendance was just as confused as the rest of us and thus nobody in the building cared about this contest. You can’t expect the audience to offer any response when they know the performers in the outfits aren’t actually Scott Hall or Kevin Nash. Along with that angle, the lackluster Jim Ross heel turn on commentary, didn’t do the segment any favors either. Just like Glenn Jacobs wasn’t Diesel, and Rick Bognar wasn’t Razor Ramon, the attempt at being a heel just wasn’t Jim Ross at the desk.

As far as the actual match, Owen Hart is a smooth and a crisp as you expect, and his s slick maneuvers at least make this match watchable. However, as if bogus versions of former champions wasn’t enough to make this match rather useless, there’s a random cameo from Pierroth and Cibernético since AAA talent were scheduled for the following month's Royal Rumble. The luchadors went to ringside for seemingly no reason before they left without explanation. After that, Steve, Austin walks to ringside and brawls with Bulldog on the floor. This all happens while the match is still going on so there’s no pace and no focus on a contest that lacked any interest from the audience anyway. I’m not sure what the point of the cameos were or even the match itself. Bulldog and Owen retained but if you skip this match, you’re not missing much of this contest.

Marc Mero challenged for the Intercontinental championship against Triple H, with the angle being the basis for sable's WWF debut and her eventual role as Mero‘s manager. Don’t get me wrong, this wasn’t a subpar match, but it wasn’t anything spectacular either. It was more or less the basic WWF match you would see during this era, and Triple H lost via count out, which was a completely flat finish.

For what was promoted as an Armageddon match, which was essentially a Texas Deathmatch, the Executioner squared off against The Undertaker. An all-time great as one of the Fabulous Freebirds, Terry Gordy had an accidental overdose on pain medication during a flight to Japan that left him with brain damage in the early-90s, and he wasn’t the same in the ring for the rest of his career. Reportedly a favor to Michael Hayes, Gordy was given the generic role as The Executioner during The Undertaker's original feud with Mankind. While it was nice that Gordy was able to make some cash in the WWF for the two months he was there, it’s just sad to see the legendary wrestler a shell of himself throughout dispatch. The wild trademark Gordy punches looked rather sloppy and he moved in the ring almost as if he was unsure of himself as opposed to being such a natural during the prime of his career. There weren’t any signature Gordy bumps or intensity during this segment. It was a very basic subpar match, and I’m guessing that’s why midway through the contest Mankind attacked The Undertaker. There was a brawl through the aisle and Gordy was temporarily thrown outside the arena. Mankind got sent sailing through part of the In Your House set before security eventually put him in a straight jacket. The Executioner eventually returned, but The Undertaker hit a tombstone to get the win.

The main event seemed to be more to set up the originally scheduled Bret Hart/Shawn Micheals rematch at Wrestlemania from the previous year more than anything else. This match was fine, but Sid had some really clumsy moments, and event Bret Hart could've cover for it. It wasn't a subpar match, but not the quality you'd associate with a Bret Hart main event, which was based on his opponent. The finish saw Sid taunt Micheals, who got on the apron, but Bret was sent crashing into him, sending HBK to the floor, and that allowed Sid to hit the power bomb to retain the belt. As we know, Micheals went on to beat Sid at The Royal Rumble in his hometown, and since Bret had a claim to the championship based on this disputed finish at In Your House, that would've set up for the Wrestlemania rematch. Conveniently, Shawn "lost his smile" and vacated the championship to avoid dropping it to Bret to set up for the rubber match.

What's the status of Riddle?

"The saddest thing in life is wasted talent" -A Bronx's Tale, 1993

That line became a central theme of Chazz Palminteri's one-man show that eventually hit the screen a few years after its theatre run as a part of Robert De Niro's directorial debut. Palminteri's semi-autobiographical street drama follows a youth during the racial tension of the 1960s. Lorenzo, the boy's father, brilliantly played by De Niro, oppose Palminteri's mafia boss character, warns his son throughout the film about the pitfalls of wasted talent.

Sadly, this theme was so identifiable because it played a continuous role in the entertainment field throughout history, specifically the live event business where the performers lead somewhat of a nomadic lifestyle to make each city on their schedule. Everything from professional wrestling to music and film have seen careers cut short when talented performers struggled with substance issues.

That's why it's so concerning that there are reports from The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer that WWE star, Matt Riddle was written off of television on Raw because he was sent to rehab after his second wellness policy violation. This isn't the first time Riddle made headlines, as he was accused of sexual assault by a female independent wrestler a few years ago, who filed a lawsuit against him and WWE. Riddle claimed that he had an affair with her, but it was consensual. The lawsuit was later dismissed and at least from the WWE side, it appeared that he was cleared of wrongdoing in that situation.

How this stint in rehab reflects upon him might be a different story.

Matt Riddle, who made a name for himself as a competitor in the UFC, was released from his MMA contract in 2013 after multiple failed drug tests for marijuana. While THC is medically and even recreationally legal in some states, fighting under the influence of anything is dangerous for both athletes. This isn't about pain management or recovery from injuries after a fight, this is as simple as if a fighter is intoxicated when they compete, they might not be as able to protect themselves or follow the referee's instructions. It's not a question of ethics, as it's widely accepted that there are medical benefits to THC, but rather the safety in combat sports.

Regardless of your personal view of THC, it seemed like Riddle would rather smoke marijuana than be a professional fighter because he couldn't pass the required drug tests.

Originally, when I heard that Riddle was going to make the transition to pro wrestling, I didn't expect much, not as a knock against him, but rather that it can be a difficult transition to go from a sport where competitors are trained to try to prevent their opponent's offense to a business where there's a level of cooperation. That said, he found success rather quickly, taking to the ring rather naturally when he broke into the business in late-2014. Within three and a half years, a portion of that time he spent working for PWG and Evolve, Riddle was offered an NXT contract in 2018. He had a successful tenure on the developmental brand before he landed on the main roster in 2020 and he initially floundered as many former NXT stars did when they moved to either Raw or Smackdown. In many ways, at least early in his main roster run, Matt Riddle was booked to look like a dork. He was cast as a Rob Van Dam 4:20 persona without being nearly as cool as RVD so the result was just scripted attempts at lame comedy. Finally, in mid-2021, he began to work with Randy Orton, and the association with a much bigger star allowed him to turn the corner to get over with the audience.

As we know, Orton has been on the sidelines for several months because of various injuries and there's no set time table for his return. Still, Riddle took the momentum that he had from the RK-Bro team and used it to become one of the featured stars on Raw.

I have to say, I'm not a fan of the whole "bro" gimmick, maybe it's because it's a reminder of all those Vince Russo interviews when he deflects blame for the collapse of WCW, but I find Riddle's promo delivery cringe worthy, not trendy. He's fine in the ring, but I wouldn't necessarily rank him as one of the top performers in the company either. That being said, there's no doubt that Riddle is over with the WWE audience. It might not be my cup of tea, but the scooter and the "bro" character are popular among the crowd.

That's why the rumors of drug issues are so disappointing.

Since Riddle's gimmick is based on the whole 4:20 culture and the fact that he was given the boot from the UFC because he continuously failed drug tests for marijuana, it's no surprise that he's a THC user. However, the WWE Wellness policy, specifically since the legalization of THC in many states, no longer tests for marijuana use on the roster. While steroids are possible, the rumors suggest that Riddle failed for hard drugs since he was sent to rehab. For example, if Riddle failed for cocaine, not only his career, but his life would be in danger. His health is obviously more important than a spot on Raw so assuming he actually failed for hard drugs, the WWE made the right decision to send him to rehab.

On a podcast earlier this year, Riddle claimed that his personal life was in "shambles" because of a very difficult divorce that was proceeding while he was getting the best television exposure of his career. It's possible that Riddle wanted time off to deal with some of his personal problem, of it's possible that those personal problems are what led to the failed drug tests. Dave Meltzer reported that the most recent failed test was Riddle's second Wellness Policy failure in the span of just a few months, which was why his match with Seth Rollins was rescheduled for Clash at The Castle.

For Riddle to abruptly be written off of television, I'd guess that there's credibility to the reports that he was sent to rehab. Hopefully, he gets his problems taken care of and can return to the company in healthy condition. To put it in perspective, Riddle was signed to a WWE deal less than four years after he started training to be a pro wrestler, and in the four years that he's been under a WWE deal, he has a spot as one of the more popular stars on Raw. Those are opportunities and chances that shouldn't be squandered. The ability to make good money in the biggest sports entertainment organization in the world after just a few years of experience shouldn't be taken for granted. Where things get tricky is that we assume that Riddle will be brought back to WWE television after the stint in rehab, but it would be understandable if it would take some time with several clean drug tests before management would continue to invest TV time into his character for the show.

The contract of Sasha Banks

The story of Sasha Bank's next move in professional wrestling continues to develop, as she was trending again earlier today on social media (I'm still waiting to hear back from Twitter support after Elon's new algorithms mistakenly flagged my account for being a robot, and I will continue to mention that in this column until I at least get a response) after The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that money talks between the two sides fell a part. The real-life Mercedes Varnado reportedly wanted a contract on the same level as her co-workers, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

Meltzer claims that WWE management didn't want to offer her that kind of cash and thus it appears she will be on her way to Japan to work big money bouts for Bushiroad with New Japan and Stardom. On the surface, it seems like a very reasonable request, but was the WWE office right in their assessment of Sasha Banks?

First, it should be noted that Sasha Banks is as talented as Becky and Charlotte. She's just as marketable, if not more so than either of them and brings the same level of star power to the table. The women's division has such depth right now that to attempt to truly rank the top performers ahead is moot in most cases. In theory, there's no reason Varnado isn't worth that type of contract to the WWE. However, when you take into account the rocky history between the two sides, the outside of the ring disputes, not the on-screen talent, might've been the determining factor.

As I wrote previously, Sasha Banks walked out of a scheduled main event right before a live broadcast went on the air. She wanted to prove a point and she certainly did, but at the same time, she also made it very difficult for the office to invest both time and money into her again. Keep in mind, she took a four-month hiatus from the company in 2019 because she was unhappy with the creative direction. At this point, she has a track record of leaving the building if she doesn't like the script she's given so what happens if she's booked in the main event of a pay-per-view and decides she doesn't want to drop the title? Don't get me wrong, there are times where a talent should speak up for themselves or leave if they aren't happy with their position in the company, but you always do business because that's the level of trust the office has to have with its performers. Back in July, Sasha could've worked the main event of Raw and still left to make her point. She reportedly put her tag team belt on the desk in front of management before she left the building. It would've been better business to notify management she was done after that night, worked the match, and left. That would've given the writing team a week or so before the next pay-per-view to script a reason Banks wouldn't be on the shows going forward, and the office didn't have to scramble before a live broadcast.

Don't get me wrong, Sasha is one of the most talented of her generation and undoubtedly a big star, she's going to draw major numbers in Japan, but again, the bottom  line is, after she walked out on Raw, there's a risk that WWE management must take into account if they are going to invest TV time and money into her character.

That said, does Varnado have a legitimate gripe toward how she was booked in the WWE? Absolutely, she was rarely spotlighted to her fullest potential and often played second fiddle to Charlotte. That's why despite multiple reigns as Women's champion, Banks didn't have a definitive run as champion because her short stints with the title were ultimately designed to get Charlotte closer to her dad's number of championship reigns. It's not fair, but politics and nepotism aren't anything new in pro wrestling. It's an ego-driven business and it's a harsh reality, but those politics, not just ability, can determine the direction of a storyline. Remember, Charlotte was at odds with the promotion at one point, including the rift with Nia Jax when legitimate punches seemed to be thrown in the ring, and the infamous belt swap segment with Becky Lynch on Smackdown. Eventually, things settled down and everyone was able to do business again, which is the entire point of the industry because that's how you draw money.

Finally, while some fans will jump on the anti-WWE bandwagon because that's usually the trendy thing to do on social media, I have to say, I think the office made the right call. Between the hiatus in 2019, the walk out on Raw, and the ridiculous C2E2 photo-ops that surfaced, I'd guess that Mercedes Varnado thinks she's a bigger star than she actually is in the industry. Considering the depth of the women's division in WWE, they don't need her on the roster to solidify the division, and prehaps, she doesn't need the WWE. The difference between the hiatus in 2019 and her most recent dispute with the company is that a few years ago, the options for talent, at least in the United States, were limited. Even after All Elite Wrestling started, there wasn't a guarantee that the project was going to get off the ground so it wasn't until the past two years that talent could realistically expect comparable money to WWE in America. Right now, everyone wins, Varnado will go to Japan to make some hefty cash, and the WWE will continue to generate record-setting profits with its television deals. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she eventually returns to WWE in a few years, which might be best for everyone since it allows for a fresh start.

That being said, regardless of the amount of cash Tony Khan could offer her, I seriously doubt that she would sign with All Elite Wrestling, and if she does, it won't end well. If  Varnado was unsatisfied with the booking in WWE, there's no way she would want to work with the inconsistent booking that Khan often uses for the product. Sasha Banks' ability is worth as much as Becky or Charlotte's contract, but the difficulty to work with Mercedes Varnado simply isn't worth the hassle. Love him or hate him, Jim Cornette had a saying that could summarize this situation, "how can we miss you if you won't go away?" Varnado's work in Japan will allow her to make major money, work with stellar talent, and could ultimately set the stage for her to be a bigger star when she returns to the company.