What's the status of Toni Storm?

All Elite Wrestling might've found a formula that works.

The common criticism of All Elite Wrestling, especially after its initial launch and the novelty of a new product worn off, was that the slapstick approach by Tony Khan doesn't fully utilize the talent or the opportunity the company has. We're five years into the All Elite experiment, the organization will flourish or flounder on its own merit. Unfortunately, for nearly half of its existence, the latter was the case more often than not. Those "dream matches" that Khan put on national television without any build up or a way to introduce athletes only known to the most diehard fans didn't generate a boost for the TBS audience.

Many of those problems have and will continue to remain a part of the Tony Khan project, it's just the nature of his E-fed approach to pro wrestling. If Tony wants to see it, regardless of if it makes sense for a national organization in the United States on cable television, he will book it. It's one of the perks of the job, Tony's billionaire family allowed him to start a pro wrestling promotion with enough cash behind it that he can pay for his favorite wrestlers to work the matches that he wants to watch in AEW. That's not even meant as a knock, but rather a realistic evaluation of the product. Ask yourself, when has Tony Khan truly booked for a national television audience? More often than not, he books for himself, which caters to the most diehard demographic of fans. If there were enough of those fans for a national group to be successful, the niche independent leagues would be on a bigger stage instead of being just independent leagues. Khan structures so much of his product around charts, graphs, or minuscule details that only the most diehard fans that dedicate a skewed amount of time to professional wrestling could follow the references, which completely clashes with the mission statement of a national organization.

However, the conclusion of Dynamite  last week was more or less the opposite of the usual Khan booking methods, it was based on emotion, and perhaps that's why it worked so well.

Ironically, it was during the course of the Owen Hart tournament, a booking troupe that Khan enjoys using as much as possible with the Continental Classic, or any other tournament format because it eliminates the logic behind why a match should take place, as it's simply the winners that advance, the women's division had its best angle in at least the past few years.

Mariah May, who was praised by The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer for her work in Stardom in Japan, was cast as Toni Storm's lackey. Usually, that’s where a talent flounders for an extended period of time until any momentum they have completely dissolves, with Wardlow and Takeshita being prime examples of the failure to follow up on talents that the have potential for a bigger role in the company. Wardlow has been on the roster for five years and somehow is still running in place as the heel bodyguard, playing second fiddle to a bigger star. Truth be told, in the role that she has been placed in so far, Mariah May hasn’t had the opportunity to show much more than secondary skills as her premise on the show was to be a sidekick to Toni Storm. If she has the ability to go further than that, remains to be seen, but the angle that took place at the conclusion of Dynamite at least opens the door for that to be a possibility.

Different from the Wardlow and Takeshita, both of whom plateaued because Tony Khan got distracted with his latest signing at the time, Mariah turned on her mentor with a dastardly angle to give the storyline a meaningful purpose going forward. Considering that Toni Storm continued to be booked as a heel, despite the baby face reaction she gets from the crowd because of the gimmick, it made sense to turn Mariah May heel for this storyline. In some ways, it allows for more organic development and spontaneity within the product since the audience ultimately decided that Storm was a baby face.

The way the turn was done stood out because it’s rare that you see women bleeding in professional wrestling, especially in the United States. Don’t get me wrong, I think women can main event a pay-per-view, be presented as the biggest stars in a particular company, be the CEO of a major corporation, or president of the United States, but the visual of a female bleeding can be somewhat unsettling. Look at it this way, Bruiser Brody or Abdullah The Butcher wear scars much better than some of the beautiful female athletes that are some of the biggest stars in the industry today. Perhaps, that’s too much of a traditional mindset, but I could promise that it’s not meant with any misogynistic intent. I think we can all agree that Toni Storm is much prettier than Abdullah the Butcher, right?

Still, the fact that females bleeding is a rare occurrence, even for AEW, gave this angle, a specific level of intensity that often lacks within most AEW storylines, let alone, the often disjointed female division. Granted, All Elite Wrestling uses way too much blood and way too many gimmicks on their programming, which muddies the waters in terms of this particular presentation, but given how popular the "Timeless" character is, there could be some business to be done with this angle. Sure, part of the popularity that Toni has is some of the wackiness that the persona brings to television, but for this storyline, there's also a chance for her to evolve some aspects of her character.

On the flip side, a few months ago, Willow Nightingale and Skye Blue had a pointless hardcore match with barbed wire and thumb tacks on the Rampage, the C-show, and it accomplished absolutely nothing. At least this violence was used to further an angle and had a purpose, Mariah May brutally ambushed her mentor. It elevates Mariah and makes her more than just a sidekick on the show. There was progress for her character and the angle itself, instead of the Willow/Blue example that had dangerous bumps for no reason or purpose in the organization.

However, it's doubtful that Tony Khan sees the different between those two scenarios. One segment had bumps on barbed wire and tacks for a "feud" that most of the fans probably didn't recognize as one or can barely recall that the match even happened on the lowest-rated show of AEW's weekly line-up. The other took one of the more over performers with the All Elite audience and used a heel turn against her to elevate the status of a talent that was deemed to have potential. The Toni Storm/Mariah May storyline has  the ingredients for a successful pro wrestling angle, but again, if Tony recognizes that is a completely different situation.

What's the status of MJF?

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is miscast in All Elite Wrestling.

Last week on Dynamite, a show that garnered a still sluggish 688,000 viewers, which is only a slight increase from the previous week, he turned heel on Daniel Garcia. After initially offering Garcia a match for Wembley Stadium, MJF took out the youngster with a vicious attack, implying that this is either a build for the eventual match in London or it will be used to get heat for an potential showdown with Will Ospreay. It doesn't look like the British grappler will be in the main event picture at All In so a title bout, albeit for a superficial championship, against MJF at the pay-per-view is still a featured spot on the card. There was some speculation that Garcia's contract status was in question, with some rumors claiming that he already inked a new deal, and other chatter that he might let his current contract expire. This isn't to say that Garcia doesn't have talent, but on the surface, it's doubtful that he showed enough, or even had the opportunity to show enough in AEW to realistically expect an offer from WWE so at least for right now, it would probably make sense for him to stay on the All Elite roster.

After the attack on Wednesday, an appearance from MJF was advertised for Collision, seemingly in an effort to give the Saturday broadcast a boost. As I've said before, Collision was more or less labeled as skippable after CM Punk left the company, because too often there wasn't anything of substance that happened on the show. In fact, a viewer could watch just Dynamite and not actual miss anything important to the product so Collision doesn't have the same priority to AEW viewers. As egotistical as Punk's mission to run Saturdays was, at least the audience knew that if they wanted to see CM Punk wrestle, they would have to tune into Collision.

While the MJF promo on the Saturday show didn't have any key information about the next portion of the storyline, it revealed just how miscast Friedman is in the company. Furthermore, it shed some light on the ceiling that the organization probably has going forward, a vanity project that will have its moments with great matches, but nothing truly competitive or an entity that will further impact the direction of the industry. Don't get me wrong, it's great that there are options in the business, both for wrestlers and fans, but the notion that All Elite isn't Tony Khan's E-fed fandom in real life is tough to dispute. Hey, if more wrestlers can make a good living in the business then you can't blame them for taking the money that's offered. More specifically, as I've had to say on a regular basis to go along with the criticism of the All Elite Wrestling product, by all accounts Tony Khan is a very nice guy that genuinely cares about his roster. That legitimately is wonderful, but just because Tony is a great guy, that doesn't qualify him to go from booking on the internet to booking for national television. Let's be honest here, the only reason Tony is the booker of the second largest promotion in the United States is because he's from a billionaire family.

Make no mistake about it, Tony has a passion for the sport, but again, that doesn't automatically mean that he can successfully run a national organization. The content of MJF's promo not only reflected, but almost reinforced that.

Friedman started his promo by replaying a clip from a prior episode og television where he retold a story about when he was a kid in school and the other kids threw quarters at him because he was Jewish. Obviously, any form of antisemitism is completely and totally wrong. There's no place for it in society, and anyone that is prejudice in any form isn't worth the hassle to recognize their ignorance. How does retelling that story, or in this case, replaying the clip get MJF any heat? He's right, and it's a total clash with the ultimate scumbag persona that he's supposedly trying to portray on TV. Anyone that is a victim of antisemitism is a sympathetic figure so including the real-life prejudice doesn't help his status as a heel. Furthermore, MJF claimed that his villainous ways were proven right because when he was trusting of Adam Cole, he was stabbed in the back. Again, the heel is correct in this scenario so why would there be heat for anything that he does after the Cole heel turn? Technically, Friedman would be justified with his actions because he can't trust anyone in the company anyway.

Finally, and this is what really showed the ceiling that AEW as an organization has in the future. In a effort to sound like he was "going too far" again, Friedman mentioned that Will Ospreay was brought into AEW to have good matches, not sell tickets. Once again, the heel is right so where's the heat? Will Ospreay has been scheduled for some of those sparsely-attended events so MJF has a point. After that, MJF name-dropped Dave Meltzer, explaining that Ospreay is there for the newsletter star ratings, while Friedman is there for the television ratings. Again, when you take into account that the 10-week average has seen a significant decrease in the numbers, the heel has a point. Prior to this latest ratings slump, it was thought that 800,000 viewers was the core AEW television audience, but over the course of the past two months, the ratings have often dropped below 700,000 viewers, which is an indication that there was a steady decline in viewership. When you compare the current numbers to the ratings when CM Punk usually bought about a million viewers to the show, there was a 30% decline in the TV audience in the past two years. That's not to say that All Elite is doomed, but rather to point out that the dazzling spot fest on a weekly basis only caters to a niche audience.

This isn't even meant as a knock on Meltzer, as bias as he might be toward All Elite, he found a niche audience and has made a living from the pro wrestling business for the past 40 years. From a historical perspective, he's probably still the best resource for the industry. However, The Wrestling Observer by nature is a niche publication, it was never meant for casual fans so the vast majority of the TBS audience probably had no idea what the reference was when MJF mentioned him on Dynamite.

If the intention of the scripting of the promo was to lean into the criticism of the product and thus make the critics of AEW the heel by proxy, it was a misguided attempt, simply because what MJF said was true. There was a slip in the ratings, regardless of the fact that Tony Khan offered major cash to sign some of the wrestlers that Meltzer often praises in his newsletter. Khan has said himself that he's a diehard fan and that he subscribed to The Wrestling Observer for years. As I've said before, unless The Observer "booker of the year" award has a cash prize with it then it's moot in terms of a national pro wrestling company. I think it's fair to see that too often Tony books for the niche newsletter demographic, but that doesn't serve the television audience, which is the entire point of getting the show on TBS in the first place. If Tony just wanted to book "dream matches," he could've ran independent shows for a lot less money then what his family spent on AEW.

As far as MJF, it looks like he's going back to the previous "shock jock" troupes, which are cheap heat tactics that try to be camouflaged as edgy. If he has to resort to references to suicide or CTE again, it will prove that he's not quite the heel that some might thought he could be for AEW. If he thinks pushing fans in the crowd is pushing the envelope, it will be a rude awakening when some local yokel decides to throw a punch or someone realizes that Tony Khan is from a billionaire family so they could get a quick payoff from a lawsuit. For nearly the past five years, we've heard about how MJF is the future of the business, but after his botched title reign with the silly Adam Cole storyline and the disappointment of the reveal last year, has All Elite fully utilized his talent? A retread of the same tired cliches in promos isn't going to rejuvenate Friedman's status in the company so it will be interesting to see if he makes any progress for this run in the company.

MITB review

Ahead of Summer Slam in just a few weeks, a packed crowd attended the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in Toronto. Despite the lengthy history of the Hart family in Calgary, Toronto has always been a wrestling city as well. The fans in attendance stayed energized throughout the entire broadcast. I know it’s becoming somewhat common place with the continued international events on the WWE calendar, but a riled up audience really can impact the presentation of an event.

The show opened with the men's MITB ladder match, which gave an indication of what was going to unfold later in the night. This segment was exactly what you'd expect it to be, it was a car crash match, but it was done right and there was a lot of action. The leg drop that Andrade did while Chad Gable was on the ladder was a neat spot. Speaking of Gable, he shined in his featured spots. The punch exchange between LA Knight and Jey Uso was fun and it really underscored how much depth is currently on the roster because both guys are more or less considered mid-card talent (and there's nothing wrong with that) but are still very popular with the audience. There were some insane bumps, including when Gable was hanging from where the briefcase was held and fell to the canvas. Eventually, Drew McIntyre got the win to get the MITB contract, but again, taking into account that the previous winner, Damien Priest kept the contract for several months, and the basis of McIntyre's current feud, the office almost tipped their hand as far as the direction of the storyline.

I was very surprised that Sami Zayn beat Bron Breakker to retain the IC belt, mostly because it seemed like a rather easy booking decision to continue to push Breakker up the ladder on Raw. Perhaps, that's why management decided to go the other way with the result so that it wasn't too predictable. Still, sometimes the simplest answer is the right answer, and I think that was the case here. I say this with nothing against Sami, he's one of my favorite performers on the roster and the fact that he can deliver such quality performances on a consistent basis makes him a truly valuable asset to the company. However, Sami is so over with the audience that he has reached the point that he doesn't need a championship to maintain that status. On the flip side, this could've been a key piece of the puzzle for pushing Bron, who has the potential to be a top guy in the future. The match itself was really solid, and Breakker had the chance to show some tremendous athleticism, but he was pinned clean after he was presented in a more dominate fashion on television in the weeks prior to this. Hopefully, there's more to this angle and it will be something that can present Breakker as a force on the Raw brand.

John Cena's surprise cameo was a cool moment. His announcement of a 2025 retirement tour is a very smart business decision, as it's an extra selling point for every event that he works before he hangs up the boots. That could even be a key piece of the puzzle for the switch over to Netflix if he wrestles on television on a semi regular basis. While it maximizes the money that he can draw before he finishes his in-ring career, which is the entire point of the pro wrestling business, from purely a sports entertainment perspective, John Cena deserves a retirement tour and the recognition that goes along with it. Cena is unanimously known as one of the hard-working performers in WWE history, and he has represented himself very well during his career. In many ways, John Cena is the real-life super hero that Hulk Hogan pretended to be on television. You could make the argument that Cena's contributions transcend the pro wrestling business. Undoubtedly, John Cena is one of the biggest stars in the history of the business, and it should be fun to watch this retirement tour in 2025.

The World Heavyweight championship match was entertaining for what it was, Seth Rollins and Damien Priest are polished pros, but similar to what I said earlier, the office tipped their hand. It was made too obvious that Drew McIntyre was going to cash-in the MITB contract, because it was mentioned on commentary as soon as the match started. As I said earlier, it makes sense that they didn't want to have Drew keep the briefcase for an extended period of time after Priest kept it for months, but booking the cash-in the same night as the pay-per-view takes away the spontaneous nature of the stipulation, which is the entire point. Furthermore, since it was obvious that Drew was going to cash-in, it also became clear that CM Punk was probably going to cost him the title again. The reason being, the McIntyre/Punk feud is based on a personal grudge, not a championship so it doesn't need the belt. The finish was very clunky, as it looked like there was some miscommunication and Drew's music was supposed to cut off the pin fall attempt. Priest clearly didn't kick out and it halted a lot of momentum built by the solid action previously. There are two problems with how this was booked. First, Damien Priest, more or less throughout his entire title reign since he won the belt at Wrestlemania, has played second fiddle to the CM Punk/Drew McIntyre feud. With Gunther as the scheduled challenger for Summer Slam, an argument could be made that Priest should be a transitional champion since there's still a lot of hype for Gunther in recent months. The bigger problem might be that unless Punk is very close to being cleared to return to the ring, there's not much more that can be scripted for this storyline. Punk has cost Drew the title three times so there has to be something of substance booked next or the angle could lose its luster in terms of an anticipated match.

The women's MITB ladder match was very well done and there were some wild bumps in this contest. Similar to the other MITB ladder match earlier in the night, this was booked to be a stunt segment and it definitely was with some memorable spots. Lyra Valkyria took some brutal bumps on the ladders, and the spot where Iyo Sky did the falcon arrow on the ladder looked rough. There was a scary moment when Zoey Stark looked like she clipped her head on the ladder when she did a dive into the ring. Chelsea Green took a crazy bump from the top of the ladder through two tables at the conclusion of the match. I understand why Tiffany Stratton was given the win, but taking into account that she's still relatively new, I think Chelsea Green would've been a better choice in terms of what could be done with the MITB stipulation from a storyline perspective.

The main event was basically the six man tag team brawl that you'd expect and it was a fun segment. There was a lot of action and a few more table spots, which were probably over done throughout the show, but  it's one of the troupes of the modern era. More than anything, this segment truly established the new Bloodline as a dominate faction in the WWE, mostly because of how dominate they were made to look in this match and that Solo Sikoa pinned Cody Rhodes to get the win. Sure, the match itself had a paint-by-numbers approach, but it was very effective. There should be a lesson taken from the formation of this new faction within the Bloodline. Granted, Solo is new to the role so naturally, he's not going to have the cache or star power of Roman Reigns, given that the former WWE champion held the title for almost four years, but the new Bloodline are presented as stars. They are portrayed as dangerous and were put on the same level as three of the top baby faces in the company. Specifically, Jacob Fatu is new to the company, but he was immediately put in a spot that let the audience know that he's an important character on the show. The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that Cody vs. Solo is going to be booked for Summer Slam, and that would make sense with the finish that was booked for MITB. I doubt Solo wins the title and would guess that Roman Reigns returns to the company, but in the grand scheme of things, it looks like there are another series of marquee matches that can be booked for the Bloodline angle during the next few months, specifically a potential war games match at Survivor Series.

Forbbiden Door review

This past weekend, All Elite Wrestling presented its annual co-promoted pay-per-view with New Japan Pro Wrestling, The Forbidden Door. As mentioned in recent articles, this was almost an exhibition pay-per-view so to speak because the majority of the match-ups are one-off type scenarios that are placed in vacuum for this event, but have zero impact on the All Elite landscape going forward. Obviously, to promote the event on television, the All Elite programming had to be geared toward these one-off bouts, which by nature doesn't lend itself to an episodic product. The ratings in recent weeks have reflected that the TBS audience isn't particularly drawn to wrestlers that they haven't seen before, won't see again for months, or have no idea who certain performers are.

I understand that Tony Khan values the Booker of the year award from The Wrestling Observer, but until it comes with a cash prize, Khan booking these inside baseball type contests have a domino effect that doesn't fully utilize the valuable national television time on Wednesdays.

A prime example of this domino effect was the opening match on the card, which had an absurd 15 bouts in total, with five contests on the zero hour before the PPV broadcast. Maxwell Jacob Friedman's return to the company last month after an extended absence to heal from several nagging injuries gave the organization a much needed boost in terms of an optimistic viewpoint for the brand. MJF, an athlete in the prime of his career, opted to re-sign with the organization, implying that he saw a bright future for All Elite Wrestling. If Friedman is willing to invest the prime of his career into AEW, it's an indication that the fans can safely invest their dollars into the organization with some level of assurance that they will get their money's worth.

So, MJF gets a major reaction for his return and his next step in his journey back to prominence in AEW is being booked in the opening match at the next pay-per-view against a luchador that the vast majority of the audience has never heard of. Furthermore, what exactly is the basis for this match? Sure, it gets MJF on the card in his hometown, but what's the point? Hechicero isn't going to feud with him, the match-up is a styles clash that impacted the quality of the segment that would've improved if either of these wrestlers had more compatible opponents, and it wasn't as though this win does anything to truly re-establish Friedman in the organization. Don't get me wrong, MJF can go in the ring, but he doesn't exactly compliment the lucha style. The same could be said for Hechicero, he can work the lucha style, but it's almost unfair to put him on this platform with an opponent that can't work to his strengths to showcase lucha libre properly for an American audience. The match itself reflected that type of conflict, as it was more smoke and mirrors with MJF pantomiming signature taunts than anything that showcased his wrestling ability or the lucha skills of his opponent. The early brawling on the outside of the ring seemed like another way to camouflage the fact that these two weren't going to exchange too many maneuvers because of the styles clash. The action was fine, but this was basically a TV match that was scheduled for pay-per-view, and more than anything, it seemed like a missed opportunity to properly showcase the CMLL talent, especially given that several other luchadors were booked for the Zero Hour.

Speaking of TV matches that made it to pay-per-view, The Elite vs. The Acclaimed and Hiroshi Tanahashi was also an example of this. It might sound strange to describe a segment with Okada and Tanahashi as something that didn't live up to its platform, but that was the reality of this segment. Again, the action was fine, but there wasn't anything too memorable or noteworthy about it. If this 12-minute contest was the main event of an episode of Dynamite or even Collision, it wouldn't have been out of place. Tanahashi took the pin to give The Elite the victory, which at this point in his career is completely fine, but the problem with this match was it looked like Kazuchika Okada, one of the major signings from earlier this year, was underutilized again.

Thankfully, the card picked up with Bryan Danielson vs. Shingo Takagi in an Owen Hart tournament match. This was a really solid contest that showcased a lot of hard-hitting and fast-paced action, which is what the show needed as far the presentation. This match had a little bit of everything with physical exchanges and very good technical maneuvers before Danielson got the win via submission. This segment went almost 20 minutes and provided some meat on the bone so to speak as far as the viewing experience.

Toni Storm vs. Mina Shirakawa was basically another 10-minute TV match that could've aired on Dynamite rather to be shoehorned onto this bloated PPV card. It was fine for what it was, but with an angle that was rather flimsy and nonsensical, I'd almost say that being involved in something so silly actually takes away from Toni's reign as champion. For as much as Dave Meltzer touted the skills of Mariah May from Stardom upon her arrival in AEW, she was cast as a total lackey. That's not to say that she doesn't have talent, but rather to point out that she hasn't been given any opportunity to show any of it so right now, she's an expendable performer on the show. Toni Storm retained the title.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Orange Cassidy was a very good technical bout and gave the card some variety, both in styles and quality. This was definitely a pay-per-view match and the work represented the potential that a co-promoted card like this can have for the niche audience that is familiar with Sabre Jr. That said, from a character prospective, I'm not sure what Orange Cassiady does from here, because he hasn't been involved in anything of particular importance in a while and you could argue that his gimmick has become overexposed on AEW programming. Sabre got the win, which might be an indication that there's a reset on the horizon for Cassidy.

I'm not going to say much about the six man tag that involved Samoa Joe, Shibata, and Hook vs. Chris Jericho, Big Bill, and Jeff Cobb. The reason being is that this will sound repetitive, but this was yet another segment that would've been better suited for television, not pay-per-view. This angle isn't over with the fans, and the biggest takeaway from all of this might be how far Samoa Joe has fallen in terms of importance to AEW in the span of just a few months. The crowd was silent as certain points in this segment. He went from the world champion to a random six man tag for a storyline that the audience has rejected. Other than to get him a spot on the show, why is Shibata involved in any of this? The baby face team got the win. Since Hook pinned Jericho, hopefully this is the conclusion of this storyline.

The ladder match for TNT title was booked to be a car crash segment and that's what it was with some risky bumps throughout the contest. There's not much to say from a narrative perspective, but aside from the danger that goes along with these multiple competitor ladder matches, there is a place for this type of stunt segment on the PPV card. Mark Briscoe using the ladder like Terry Funk was a fun spot. I was surprised to see Lio Rush there because there’s a 50-50 chance that he’s retired at any given time. Takeashita is such a great athlete with so much potential, and unless he was going to win the belt, there was really no reason to put him in this match because he got lost in the shuffle. Jack Perry getting the win was predictable, but it makes sense with the current Elite storyline. As much as Perry had zero value to the company after the CM Punk backstage flight, credit where its due, the current angle has made him more of a heel than I would’ve guessed possible before this. 

Mercedes Mone beat Stephanie Vaquer to win the New Japan Strong Women’s title, which doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but the lucha star gave Mercedes her first very solid match so far in her AEW tenure. If the roster wasn’t so bloated, I would say that Stephanie Vaquer would be a good addition to the organization, but the last thing this company needs is more people under contract, on the payroll, or on the roster. These two had some great technical exchanges that showed a lot of skill throughout the contest, with Mercedes getting the submission for the win. There were a few rocky points toward the conclusion of the match, but overall this was very well done. 

Depending on your perspective, the main event was either a total miss or a home run, based on what you’re looking for from the AEW product. It goes without saying that Ospreay being booked in this spot was unnecessary and counterproductive. In some ways, this almost suggests that the storybook finish of him winning the title in Wembley Stadium is not the direction that Tony is going for this specific storyline. On the flip side, this was the first main event match that made Swerve Strickland look like a world champion rather than a placeholder. IF AEW isn’t going to give Ospreay the moment in London, and Khan is actually going to run with swerve as a long-term champion,  this segment accomplished the goal of making Swerve look like a legitimate top guy. In my opinion, the setting of Wembley is too good to pass up so I think the entire booking of Ospreay a title match before Wembley was a mistake, but at the same time, if they are going to go with Swerve, it’s good to see that they are at least giving him a chance to be successful in the role with this type main event match on pay-per-view. As far as the match itself, everything was crisp and smooth. They are too polished pros and the action showed that. At the same time, this wasn’t exactly a match that had a lot of momentum behind it in terms of the storyline, which has been a continuous problems for the AEW product. I don’t think anyone will question some of the stellat match quality on pay-per-view, but the presentation and progress have been lacking on a regular basis for at least the past two years. There match solidified Swerve, but at the same time, it also implied that Ospreay isn't going to get the memorable moment to win the title in London since the winner of the Owen Hart tournament gets a title shot on pay-per-view.  

What's the status of WWE?

The episode of Raw this week packed a lot of punch into a three-hour broadcast that usually has at least some tedious points on a regular basis. Perhaps, that's unavoidable with a three-hour show. Don't get me wrong, I understand that the office is willing to sacrifice the quality of the content for the quantity since that satisfies the hefty rights fees that go along with the company's massive TV deals. The argument could be made that with that amount of cash on the line, the tedious segments are worth it for the publicly-traded organization. Still, between the build for Money in The Bank next weekend and the next piece of the puzzle for the Wyatt storyline, there was enough meat on the bone to give the audience a reason to stay tuned into the show on the same night that the Stanley Cup finals went to game 7.

It goes without saying that the exit of Kevin Dunn, the longtime Vince McMahon director, and his nauseating amount of camera cuts and shakes, the show has a refreshed look with the camera work now. Even without some of the beaver dam type of camera shakes that were a Dunn trademark, it was well beyond the time that the show should get a revised look to have a more modern presentation. The usual pro wrestling troupes of how the shows were shot for television became cliche.

Overall, the new ownership, and more importantly, the new direction under Triple H, is a positive for the organization. However, will this lead to too much of a good thing?

I try to avoid phrasing the current dynamic of the WWE this way because it will be read too negatively when it doesn't intend to imply such negativity. Make no mistake about it, the WWE is doing tremendous business right now, they are selling tickets to pay-per-views and TV tapings to either sell out or near a sell out levels with much higher ticket prices than in years prior. They are on the cusp of a Netflix deal that could completely change the consumption of wrestling media and thus change the dynamic of the presentation of the industry. There's absolutely no doubt that the WWE is serving its audience very well and the results have reflected that.

But, there's a major difference between serving the current fan base in a way that maximizes profit and the sports entertainment business as a part of pop culture the way it was in a previous generation.

That's why I think it's completely misguided when fans or pundits of the industry claim that pro wrestling is in some type of boom period again, as the numbers just don't tell that story. For example, Raw this week generated 1.8 million viewers, which is around the 10-week average for the show, according to PW Torch. For a comparison, WCW Thunder in 2000, a time period when the show was more or less deemed unwatchable, the show regularly garnered around 2.5 million viewers.

Yes, I understand that it's a different era and that the evolution of the distribution of media has completely changed the dynamics of programming, as viewers are flooded with more options than any other time in history, but the bottom line is, less people are watching pro wrestling on a consistent basis than many of the previous eras of the sport. Granted, I don't think it's realistically possible for sports entertainment to reach the heights that it did in the late-90s. The circumstances of the industry are different, society is different, and as mentioned, there are just too many options for viewers to expect that ten million people will tune into the show on a given week. Plus, the classic supply and demand aspect played a role as well. Those 10 million regular viewers of pro wrestling on a weekly basis were among two companies, and the competition for those viewers was a major reason for the success of the industry. Again, especially after the TKO merger, it's very doubtful that there will realistically be that type of competition for the WWE again.

Where this all goes to the point of if the current success of the WWE is too much of a good thing is the recent plans that were announced for the expansion of the "Premium Live Events," particularly with the deal that was touted on Raw that will bring The Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, and Summer Slam to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

According to The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer, the multi-year deal will bring The Rumble to Lucas Oil Stadium in February of next year, and as we know, Summer Slam will be expanded to two nights in 2026 when the company takes the event to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Meltzer noted that after the expansion of Summer Slam to two nights in 2026, that will be the plan for the next going forward, including when the show is held in Indianapolis in the future. Of course, Wrestlemania already expanded to two nights so the precedent is set that the marquee WWE events can be two shows.

Similar to Minneapolis in 2026, Indianapolis paid WWE a hefty site for the company to bring their signature shows to the city. This is where the deals like this have a lot more to do with economic impact than anything that will be promoted in the ring. The reasons for cities to offer a site fee for these signature pay-per-views, which bring with them the cache of the historical value of the events, are numerous. The TKO corporation knows that by adding a second night to the events, it's added value for the cities that are paying the sire fees. Furthermore, it has a domino effect that's a win-win for everyone involved. When a second night is added, that's another night that hotel rooms throughout the city are booked, another day of restaurants getting an increase in business, and of course, the added revenue of the parking, as well as concessions at the stadium. It goes without saying that it doubles the gate for the WWE, but again, something as trivial as hotel rooms and parking fees that are also doubled translate to a lot of tax money for the host city. By nature, when a pay-per-view is a two-day event, the target audience for live attendance goes beyond just the local fan base. In the modern era, the major PPVs will get fans to buy tickets from surrounding states, but when a show is a two-night event, often with television tapings that week held in the same city, it becomes a travel destination. Therefore, the WWE production brings in fans from outside of the region to spend more money than is usually generated from local events by the usual fan base. If the live attendance is mostly local, there isn't the demand for hotel rooms. When an event is designed to be a travel destination for fans, there are plane tickets, hotel accommodations, and other expenses that aren't a part of local events.

For the publicly-traded TKO corporation, this is exactly what they want, guaranteed revenue from a multi-year deal, which will provide stability for the stock price.

The other side of the coin to all of this is that perhaps the conglomerate is betting on the current fan interest too much to continue in the future. Unquestionably, there are peaks and valleys within sports entertainment. It's simply not possible to always maintain sellout business because there are always going to be storylines that have to conclude as the product evolves over the course of a specific time frame. Right now, with the coronation of Cody Rhodes, the return of CM Punk, and the talent on the roster, there's enough depth for two-night events, but is there really a demand for it? The causal fan is only going to watch so much content, and more importantly only spend so much cash on sports entertainment at any given time. Wrestlemania as a two-night show might be the exception, but are the other major pay-per-views really going to be able to justify two shows, especially after the current peak of WWE business?

If management oversaturates the amount of pay-per-view shows on the WWE calendar then it dilutes the importance of each individual event. I understand that double the amount of tickets sold and double the gate revenue are very good for the press releases, but what if those high-priced tickets don't sell as well in two or three years? Again, the casual fan is only going to spend a certain amount of money on pro wrestling. Are the fans on Indianapolis really going to spend major cash on WWE events several times in the span of a few years? More specifically, are the fans that travel to the marquee shows going to want to travel to the same city multiple times during the time frame of the WWE deal?

I'm not saying it can't or won't happen, but rather to point out that I'm skeptical that the company can maintain its current drawing power over the course of the next few years. There are a lot of variables within pro wrestling, and a lot of outside factors that can affect the status of the industry so there's no guarantee that the expansion will be successful.

The career of Amanda George

Amanda George loves professional wrestling. Her role model is Maria Kanellis . When she’s at a pro wrestling event, large or small, she beams from ear to ear because she loves the action, the drama, and the compelling storytelling that goes along with the genre that originated from the carnival circuit. One thing is for sure, professional wrestling might just be the most unique form of entertainment anywhere.

Amanda‘s love affair with professional wrestling is as some classic and as pure as it comes, she became enthralled with the over-the-top spectacle of the grappling arts when she was just 14. She was so obsessed with the squired circle that her middle school classmates insisted that one day she pursue a place in the sport of her very own.

And Amanda did just that.

Just a few years ago, she stumbled upon T2T Pittsburgh, an academy that was the brain child of two independent wrestling stalwarts, Ganon Jones Jr. and MV Young. The two grapplers wanted to bring pro wrestling to their hometown of New Kensington, a city located north west of Pittsburgh along the Allegheny River and was once an industrial hub in its heyday. The training center, which was re imaged from the remnants of an old bank building, had an open door policy for those that wanted to test themselves in a pursuit of sports entertainment.

Not only did the project give off the ground, but also launched 880 Wrestling, a nod to the city's postal code, along with the training classes. One of the doors that T2T Pittsburgh opened was for Amanda to emulate her wrestling idol as a ringside manager.

"I heard about 880 from Ganon Jones Jr. and Dani Mo. I decided to reach out to MV and ask if I could come watch a class or two to see if I wanted to join. I still, to this day, have the first message I sent to MV. You can argue to say that I am still training, as you never stop training or learning in wrestling," Amanda explained.

With the breeze of spring through a pair of glass doors, Amanda took the plunge into pro wrestling classes. A mural of the city painted on the wall contrasts a brick wall on the opposing side, creating a unique atmosphere for both training sessions and live events held at the building. Outside of the key pieces of learning how to protect herself and land on the canvas as safely as possible, she learned some of the pieces of the puzzle for a pro wrestling valet.

"Amanda is a completely different performer than when she first started training, she grows more comfortable into her role every time she’s out there. I look forward to seeing how far she can go," said MV Young of his student's progress.

Just over a year and a half ago, with the stamp of approval from her trainers, Amanda George transformed herself into Amanda Maslow, a savvy businesswoman that will achieve success for her clients at any cost, when she became an on-screen character for her home base at 880 Wrestling and then branched out to Victory Championship Wrestling in McMechen, West Virginia.

"My involvement in promotions like 880 and VCW has given me more experience in my career in general. They were the first companies that wanted to take a chance on me and see what I could do. I’m also starting to branch out to companies outside of the state of PA to learn other important roles in the wrestling business that are just as important as being in or around a professional wrestling ring," she commented.

Similar to many hopefuls that look to break into the business, Amanda is always keen on looking for opportunities to work for more organizations when the chance presents itself. It's not uncommon to see her quietly pop her head into a locker room around the Pittsburgh circuit to network and see what she can do to help the event. Regardless if it's working a merch table, filming content for social media, or running errands when needed, Amanda George brings a humble attitude with her to each show she attends, grateful for the chance that she gets to be a part of the industry that she remains a fan of.

"Honestly, the goal is to enjoy my career. I’m in it for the love of the game, enjoying the ride. Making towns, shaking hands, making moments," Amanda commented.

Among the professional strides she's made in more recent months is her list of clients, as she's often spotted alongside, 880 standout and one of the rising youngsters within the Pittsburgh scene that has made his way to a myriad of organization, Gianni Michael Emricko. Just a two-year pro, "The Italian Strongman" is regarded by many as one of the best prospects in the Pittsburgh region, and Amanda added a completely new dynamic to that presentation. At 880, she expanded her reach with the formation of her own group, the Matriarchy with Zeke Mercer and Paris Sahara. Zeke Mercer has wrestled six years as a professional, breaking into the industry at when they were just 18, and have expanded their resume around the tri-state area within the past few years. Paris is known as a dynamic and athletic performer, and she has become one of the new stars to watch on the Pittsburgh circuit.

880 hosts weekly live cards on Thursdays and monthly special events on Fridays. The villainous Amanda Maslow has played an increasing bigger role in the organization, which she cites as valuable experience, and allowed her to hone her craft on the key components of an effective valet.

"Someone that stands out that can really get the crowd going, good facial expressions, knows how to react to things, and can make their presence known. Something I've learned is that you need to trust who you work with, constantly getting reps will help you improve, and the people around you will always be able to help you or give advice on something you aren't sure about," she explained.

More than just pursuing her passion to be a part of the business, Amanda knows that the opportunity to be involved in the sport has a level of responsibility with it, which is something that she takes seriously. She knows that milestones and achievements must be given the proper respect and recognition when they can have an impact on the history of the sport.   

"Being able to be apart of the first ever transgender black women match at 880 with Paris Sahara and Brianna Bandz, and being able to help form the Matriarchy with Zeke Mercer and Paris Sahara. We were all on our own career paths and we all came together to make something special," she remarked.

There's no doubt about it, Amanda George went to wrestling school because she was a fan of the genre, and she remains a fan today. She has just as much fun at the events as the fans in the seats, and that enthusiasm allowed her to pursue her childhood dream. If Amanda ever makes it to the national stage remains to be seen, there are no guarantees in the pro wrestling business, but in many ways, she is already a success story.

Could Shane McMahon sign for AEW?

Could Shane McMahon be on his way to All Elite Wrestling?

Similar to almost everyone else, when I initially saw the headline on social media, I immediately dismissed it as some yo-yo that tried to have fun with Photo Shop with the common All Elite graphic that is often used as satire. Captain Lou Albano will be on Dynamite next week too, right?

However, some credibility was lent to the rumor when Conrad Thompson, podcast czar, mentioned on the Grillin' JR podcast that he heard from someone in AEW that there were at least very early discussions about the second generation McMahon potentially joining the company.

At one point, I'd have said that it was completely and totally impossible that Shane McMahon would ever work for any pro wrestling group outside of the WWE. But, many people would've found it unthinkable that Vince McMahon would be banished from WWE in disgrace if you asked them that possibility just two years ago.

Could Shane McMahon really sign a contract with a competitor to the WWE?

As we know, the McMahon family dynamic is bizarre and complicated. Freud would be taking apron bumps if he tried to analyze the McMahon family tree. Shane left the WWE empire in 2009 after it was clear that Stephanie and Triple H, not Vince's son, would be next in line for the throne. Shane launched a cable and pay-per-view company in China, and was away from the WWE until 2016. His next departure in 2022 was also rocky when he was released from the company after backstage controversy suggested that he wanted The Royal Rumble match to be focused around him. He returned to work a match against The Miz at Wrestlemania last year, but tore his quad minutes into the match and hasn't been seen on WWE programming since that time.

While Shane was recovering from surgery to repair the injury, Vince was ousted from company completely after Janel Grant brought the lawsuit against him that accused him of deviated and horrendous behavior. The text messages that were included in the lawsuit appeared to prove at least some of the claims, leading to the TKO corporation distancing itself from Vince as much as possible. Specifically, it was made clear that this was the Triple H era of the WWE.

That stain on the McMahon name might be the motivating factor for Shane to ink a deal with Tony Khan.

It goes without saying that Tony would offer big money to sign Shane, as he would see it as another way to recreate his fandom from the Attitude era. The same way that Vince got Eric Bischoff to come work for him, this would allow Tony to claim that he was the boss of a McMahon. It's very doubtful that the second generation McMahon needs the cash, but a few extra million dollars is always good to add to the bank.

For Shane, it would be a way for him to do something completely on his own and outside of the realm of anything associated with his disgraced father. It might also be a way for Shane to spite Vince, which would be understandable, considering the level of shame that his actions brought to the family name.

Furthermore, it would unquestionably be one of the most shocking and memorable moments in the history of the sport. Sure, Shane was on Nitro in 2001, but that was after WCW was bought by the WWF and technically already a McMahon property. Make no mistake, if Shane shuffles his way onto an All Elite Wrestling program, the entire wrestling world would stop and take notice of it.

That said, outside of the justified shock value of the moment, I'm not really sure what Shane brings to the table for AEW. At 54, his in-ring days, beyond maybe a retirement bout just because there could be an opportunity for it, should be over, especially after the torn quad. The narrative on Shane as a performer really flipped over the years, particularly after he returned to the WWE fold in 2016. There was a time in 1999 when the second generation McMahon clearly wanted to prove himself and show that he wasn't getting television time just because of his last name. Unquestionably, give credit where it's due, Shane McMahon took many wild risks and bumps to earn his stripes. There was a time when Shane's bouts were anticipated because there were always those car crash moments to make up for the fact that he wasn't an experienced in-ring worker. Shane McMahon has a lot of highlight reel moments. Again, credit where its due, he didn't lean on his last name to play television star.

That being said, the Royal Rumble that led to his dismissal in 2022, was somewhat of a microcosm of his latter run with the company. His tenure as general manager and the entire "best in the world" storyline overexposed him and it appeared to be more self indulgent than anything else. Instead of those select memorable matches, Shane McMahon's bouts became sloppy and tedious. It almost looked like he was trying to shoehorn himself into a role that he had more than 15 years previously.

I would guess that Tony Khan would be willing to book all the crash crash spots that Shane might want to do in the ring, but realistically, I don't think Shane should be a wrestler in AEW. There's not exactly a demand for Shane vs. Kenny Omega or Will Ospreay. Shane hasn't been known as a booker, and the Royal Rumble incident suggested that perhaps that isn't the role for him either. At the same time, if Tony Khan can book , why not give Shane a chance? In reality, we know that Tony Khan isn't going to relinquish any booking power in the company, as that would defeat the purpose of why he launched the vanity project, but even if he did, Shane isn't the one that should be named the booker anyway.

Still, bringing Shane McMahon to All Elite Wrestling has value because it would garner the attention that the company has lacked since CM Punk was fired. When you look at the numbers, Dynamite usually draws around 800,000 viewers, but when Punk was a regular on the show, it drew around a million viewers so there was at least a 20% decline in the ratings. No, I don't think Shane, specifically as just a promo segment, would boost the numbers on a consistent basis, but the point being, his appearances could prompt viewers to at least tune back into the show to see the direction of the product.

This is where the premise works on paper, but would flop in application. In order for the attention of the shocking Shane McMahon jump to AEW to be truly effective, the product would have to be presented in a logical, compelling, and consistent manner, but that hasn't been the case for at least the past two years, and there's no indication that there will a shift in the direction of the company so even if fans would tune in again, it's almost a moot discussion since the majority of the problems that caused a decline in viewers are still on the show.