Did AEW sell All Out?

Just two weeks after Wembley Stadium, an event that garnered mostly positive reviews for the quality that it showcased, All Elite Wrestling is back on pay-per-view this weekend for All Out. Different from last year, the PPVs are two weeks apart rather than just a week, but the problem of selling a clear "B-side" to the equation remains for All Elite management. In truth, and this isn't a ground-breaking notion, there's absolutely no reason for the company to run another PPV two weeks after the London event. The current angles don't justify it, and more importantly, there's not a demand for it. Speaking of which, in terms of supply and demand, it's simple economics, when AEW had a few pay-per-views a year, it allowed for an anticipation to build prior to the show, which isn't the case as Tony Khan adds more pay-per-views to the schedule because monthly events became the trend in the late-90s when pro wrestling was in a boom period so there was a demand for such a line-up. Sure, the counterpoint might be that if the shows are selling on a near-monthly basis then Tony would technically be leaving money on the table otherwise, but I think in the grand scheme of things, there's a risk of oversaturation that could erode the amount of fans willing to pay those PPV prices that often over the course of a few years. The bottom line is, what can truly be accomplished in terms of importance to the product with only two weeks to promote the card?

At the same time, building a pay-per-view card in two weeks is almost tailor-made for Tony's booking style or lack thereof. The slapstick approach will allow Tony to justify match-ups with only a few segments behind them to generate momentum so he isn't tasked with booking compelling programming over the course of a few months to script a selling point for a PPV card. Instead, Jack Perry, who is already the TNT champion, will get a title shot at All Out because he attacked Bryan Danielson last week. Tony doesn't have to properly structure a grudge or any type of long-term issue for the segment at the pay-per-view. He doesn't have to truly justify why the match should take place or book an intriguing reason why the fans should want to pay to watch it. Outside of parsing details as to why there's not a logical basis for the match-up, quite simply, does anyone honestly believe that Danielson is going to drop the championship after just a two-week reign? When the main event is more or less a glorified exhibition bout, doesn't that provide enough of a reason why the pay-per-view isn't necessary in the first place?

In some respects, the chance to hotshot every angle on the show is exactly what Tony Khan looks for to book pay-per-view cards, as it mimics his E-fed booking days on the internet, the notion of what sounds good on paper, but something that falls short in realistic execution. There were matches announced on last night's episode of Dynamite, such as Mercedes Mone/Hikaru Shida for All Out. Why exactly should the fans be invested in this bout one way or the other? Don't get me wrong, Shida is a solid performer, but she's on the show very sporadically so it's not as though she has any momentum ahead of getting a title shot. The same could be said for The Blackpool Combat Club challenging The Young Bucks for the tag team titles, why exactly should the fans care who wins when it was a completely thrown together match?

On the flip side, I understand what they were going for with the Daniel Garcia/MJF segment, but all things considered, was enough time given to allow the fans to view Garcia as a key player in AEW? I don't think so, he's clearly not at the level of MJF, and the fact that he's a vacuum of charisma with a stone face expression most on the time doesn't do him any favors either. Maybe I'm missing something,but Garcia seems to be a good utility worker that can have a solid match to add substance to the card, but just doesn't have the star power to be a major draw. The problem is, you could say that about a lot of the current All Elite roster so even his strengths can get lost in the shuffle. Again, maybe I'm being too pessimistic, but working with Garcia, at least at this point, seems like a step down for Friedman, particularly because he's supposed to be one of the top guys in the company.

Will Ospreay and Pac will probably have a dazzling spot fest that will steal the show, be legitimately impressive, and will allow Dave Meltzer to give it 87 stars in an attempt to bolster the perception of the company. The downside of that is that those types of matches are randomly put on television every week so is that actually enough to justify the price tag of the pay-per-view? Considering that Pac's appearances are sporadic at best, does the result of the match have any impact on the direction of the product?

Aside from the sizzle of the Pac/Ospreay high spot bout, in theory, the substance of the pay-per-view in terms of a long-term feud is the steel cage match between Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. As disjointed as it is as far as the continuity and the presentation, there's undoubtedly history between the two that can be used to sell a major match. However, in typical Tony Khan fashion, he managed to muddy the waters for absolutely no reason. Keep in mind, Swerve Strickland organically got over as a baby face when he was initially portrayed as a heel, and that's ultimately why he had a run with the AEW world championship. It's one of the few strictly logical booking decisions made in AEW this year, as the fans decided that Swerve was a baby face, and the office ran with it. However, without explanation, Swerve was presented as a heel again in the build up to the match against Bryan Danielson at All In for Wembley Stadium. Now, again without explanation, he's a baby face again, with the over-the-top angle that saw Adam Page burn down Swerve's childhood home. This is supposed to be the feud that the fans are invested in enough to watch to see the next chapter at the pay-per-view, but when there are so many switches between the heel and baby face roles, the result is often indifference to the audience. 

There's nothing less of a draw than indifference. There's a reason that political parties always vilify the other side, because that's what fuels donations, thus draws money for the campaign. It's apropos that it's an election year because politics is more of a work than pro wrestling, and it's more profitable, too All of this said, the discussion for the most part, and even some of the rightfully criticism is more or less moot. Sure, running another pay-per-view two weeks after Wembley doesn't make financial or even booking sense, but as we know, profit isn't the objective for AEW. It's a vanity project, and there are some coincidences that provide a positive to the industry, as it gives options to the talent and to the fans, but business doesn't dictate the direction of All Elite Wrestling. The reasons that another pay-per-view is scheduled are that it will allow Tony Khan to book another E-fed card, he can sit next to his favorite wrestlers during the two-hour press conference, and he will see the star ratings that Dave Meltzer gives the show in The Wrestling Observer newsletter after the event.

Bash in Berlin review

The WWE brought its premium live event series to Berlin, Germany and once again, the demand from the foreign markets paid off, as they had a packed arena and a truly electric atmosphere from the German audience. In some ways, I'm wondering if WWE brass could've run a bigger venue, based on the demand, but the nearly 20,000 fans at the Uber Arena allowed for the reactions to truly be heard rather than some of the response escaping in a stadium. It should be noted that while it isn't discussed as often as other location, Germany actually is traditionally a very strong pro wrestling market. In the early-90s when the WWF struggled to draw outside of the northeast, Germany, as well as other markets from that region drew strong numbers for them. The German markets were also a stronghold for WCW, as well, particularly when the company essentially stopped touring in the early-90s outside of some of the tours of Europe. Furthermore, WCW leaned on the draw of live wrestling in Germany in the latter days of the organization when its attendance domestically plummeted in 2000.

As much as technology, particularly with the cesspool of social media, is the downfall of society, the advancements within the distribution of media are what not only allow for these overseas broadcasts, but also maximizes the potential revenue of the foreign markets. Keep in mind, there was a time when Europe received stacked house shows once a year or the occasional exclusive pay-per-view. In either case, there simply wasn't going to be major shifts in the direction of the product on those events because the domestic audience wouldn't be able to realistically watch it or follow the action. The office could've ran a tape on television, but the audience in the arena would have to watch it on the screens, which could flatten their live reaction afterwards. Specifically during the ratings war on the late-90s, management wasn't going to risk running an acknowledged taped segment when the fans could change the channel to watch live wrestling from the other company.

Sure, it's a little different watching a pay-per-view in the early afternoon, but the point is, streaming allows it to be a realistic option since the company doesn't have the traditional split with cable companies or other PPV providers. While we haven't seen one of the "big four" hosted overseas in the modern era, I don't think it's out of the question either, specifically Wrestlemania going to Wembley Stadium to draw 80,000 fans for two different shows. Right now, these foreign shows are somewhat scaled down in terms of the match card and the runtime of the broadcast, which actually makes for an easier viewing experience. The bottom line is, fans watching on Peacock and in the building know that titles can change hands and key points of a storyline can take place in the modern era.

At the same time, while the setting can be a place for titles to change hands, the circumstances of the title picture can dictate otherwise. The show opened with Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens for the WWE championship. It was smart to start with this because it gives a solid beginning with the notion that Gunther will be the main event, preventing the crowd response from dwindling before the conclusion of the pay-per-view. That said, the key to building the drama of championship matches is selling the possibility that the title might be in jeopardy. Sometimes, reaching that point within the narrative of a contest just isn't realistically possible, and unfortunately, Cody/Owens fell into that category. Everything they did was solid and at the level of a quality championship match, but after Rhodes' two-year journey to the belt, the audience knows that he's not going to lose it based on a month build for one of the European cards. Under different circumstances, perhaps with Owens as a heel with more of a build up, these two could have a great feud, but the match just wasn't going to have a level of intensity when there was only a few weeks of momentum behind it. A side note,it should be mentioned that it looks like Owens might get typecast as the guy that is considered a solid utility worker that can make the star look good. Don't get me wrong, the office knows the value that Owens brings to the table, which is why he will be offered a hefty sum to re-sign with the company and probably finish his career there, but it still seems like somewhat of a missed opportunity if he isn't given a more meaningful run as a heel world champion at some point before he retires.

Speaking of which, with the odds of a title switch in the main event scene rather slim, it made sense for there to be a change of the Women's Tag Team titles so that there was something of importance to impact the direction of the brand at the event. The match was fine for what it was, and depending on your perspective, there's nothing wrong with that. Jade Cargill is still a project, and this segment was still designed to showcase her strengths without exposing any weaknesses, which is fine. There's no reason to rush it, but it will be interesting to see how Jade continues to develop as a performer and if she can adapt to a individual role, potentially as a heel after the run in a tag team.

CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre in a strap match was somewhat odd, because even though the feud has about six or seven months already behind it, there's a lot of ground to be covered since Punk was injured for a majority of the year. I don't know if a gimmick match for just the second match of the feud was needed, but maybe it was booked to add some sizzle to the Berlin card. However, the pieces of the puzzle were put into place with the attack on Punk during Raw this week, as it gives the angle a reason to continue. The strap match was solid and the physicality emphasized the hostility of the storyline. When Punk originally won, I thought it would've been anti-climatic if that was considered the conclusion of the angle because Punk would've gotten a measure of revenge, but as was seen on Raw, another layer was added to the storyline with Punk being put in an ambulance following the attack. The HIAC pay-per-view is next month, which is probably the next destination for the storyline, but if it's done right, I really think Punk vs. Drew has enough steam to be a grudge match at WM next year.

The Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley vs. Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan segment was decent, but nothing too spectacular. In truth, it didn't need to be some epic bout, it was a storyline-based segment that proved just how over Ripley is with the audience, which in the process helps put over the entire storyline. For a stable that was more or less dead in the water when it originally started with Edge a few years ago, it's remarkable how valuable The Judgment Day faction has been with the ability to make new stars for the company. Ultimately, Priest was a transitional champion, but he became a more established star in the process. At the same time, Dominik and Liv have became more established heels throughout this angle so all things considered, it was mission accomplished. Ripley and Priest got the win, but this is another storyline that has the potential to be a featured WM match.

The main event more or less had the same hurdles as the opening match, the same way that the audience knows that Cody isn't going to drop the belt after a month of build up, the fans in Berlin knew that Gunther wasn't going to lose just a few weeks after he won the championship. Again, everything they did was solid and it was a quality main event, it just didn't have the drama of a major title match because there just wasn't the realistic possibility of a title switch. Gunther got the submission to retain the title, and the handshake afterwards was a nice endorsement from Orton because it helps solidify Gunther as a legitimate star.

Jon Moxley on Dynamite

Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

It's a cliche, but it's a cliche that's true. It happens all the time, both in the mundane aspects of society, and in the over-the-top world of the pro wrestling business. Vince McMahon should've taken a lesson from all of the other powerful moguls that fell because of a scandal, TNA should've taken note of who actually killed WCW, and based on this week's episode of Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling might want to refer to the reveal that flopped last year before they plant more cryptic seeds.

Jon Moxley hasn't been seen on AEW programming since he dropped the IWGP championship to Naito at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view two months ago. As I wrote at the time, it was a good opportunity for Moxley to take some time away from the All Elite landscape during his brief reign as the top titleholder in New Japan since it gave him a chance to freshen up his persona. It wasn't his fault, but circumstances within the organization often dictated that Moxley step up to carry the company in times of distress. For some of the fair criticisms of his in-ring work, Moxley was an MVP in many ways for All Elite Wrestling.

Someone got injured? Moxley takes the title when he had a vacation scheduled, suspensions or backstage conflicts derail the script? Moxley steps up to be the guy to carry the flag of AEW forward. Keep in mind, while others waited for proof of concept to see if All Elite would get off the ground before they made the jump from WWE, Moxley was the star that got in on the ground floor when he made his surprise debut at the first Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

It's been more than five years and during that time, Jon Moxley had a good run with the company, particularly as someone with legitimate star power that gave the impression of optimism because he put the future of his career in the midst of the success or failure of the upstart project. Sure, it was a mix bag, but that's the case with more or less any pro wrestling project. The key is to maximize the positives, and minimize the negatives. Tony Khan's attempts to do that have been a mixed bag as well.

Still, the bottom line is that Tony is willing to put enough of his billionaire family's money into the wrestling league to make an impact in the industry. It's still an option for talent and fans, regardless of how bloated the roster is, or how unnecessary some of the B-shows are on its line-up. Does anything that happens on the Ring Of Honor brand truly make a difference in the grand scheme of things?

It goes without saying that the Blackpool Combat Club stable lost a lot of its steam when there weren't any members actually from Blackpool in the gorup and then a lot of the stablemates went in different directions so they weren't booked as a faction. Essentially, Tony's slapstick approach more or less eroded any importance the group had. So, it wasn't too surprising when Jon Moxley made his return to All Elite programming to open the show this past Wednesday without the stable. He was interviewed by Tony Schiavone, claiming that AEW isn't his company anymore, which prompted some level of confusion, as well as questions as to what this could be an indication of as far as storylines.

Obviously, Tony Schiavone isn't the owner of the company so the attempted message wasn't as clear as it could've been. Later in the show, there was a backstage segment where Marina Shafir attacked security and appeared to join Moxley. Unfortunately, Shafir is most well known for the absolutely cringe worthy "you know me" promo from a few years ago and hasn't appeared on AEW programming since a match on Rampage at the end of last year. She was MIA for the first half of this year until she resurfaced on ROH's streaming platform in May. I don't want to sound overly pessimistic, but the former MMA fighter gimmick lost its luster before Shafir made her AEW debut, and the harsh reality is, her character isn't anything of importance to the audience, nor was there any indication prior to this that she was destined for success in pro wrestling so this was a rather flat way to attempt to jump start a new faction that might potentially be booked for a major spot on AEW shows.

The problem is, besides Shafir not exactly being a major star to put a spotlight on the angle, that with Moxley's promo earlier in the show, it was implied that there was more to the story to unfold. Certainly, that appears to be the case, and perhaps, the hint was that the former AEW world champion will assemble a new faction to take the company by storm. However, is there actually a conclusion planned for this angle or will it be another example of an extended build up with an underwhelming payoff? Let's not forget, Adam Cole was the one under the mask at the finish of the World's End pay-per-view last year. It was an angle that went on too long and given the nature of how far it was stretched, you got the impression that Tony Khan was buying time to attempt to figure out a resolution, not building to a payoff.

With Moxley's implication of a takeover of the company, some fans have speculated on social media that this could put the foundation in place for the eventual debut of Shane McMahon. As I mentioned when I wrote an article about the rumors when they made the rounds online a few months ago, it's very doubtful that Shane is going to work for any other wrestling company outside of the WWE. If he landed on All Elite programming, it would make a splash and get fans to take notice, but in order for it to make a difference, AEW would have to avoid many of the pitfalls that eroded its audience in recent years.

Don't get me wrong, episodic television is one of the ways that you can build an audience, but Tony Khan better have a plan for the payoff because the claim that "it's not your company anymore" gives the impression of a major storyline. I'm not saying that Shane McMahon has to be the reveal, and it's doubtful that it would be realistically possible anyway, but the point is, there will have to be a conclusion that justifies the amount of TV time invested in the angle. As much as I'd like to say that the audience should be cautiously optimistic about the possibility that this is the start of a major angle, I can't use that term for the All Elite product because there was already a completely underwhelming scenario last year. However, I will definitely be happy to be wrong if this is the start of a major storyline that will spark the AEW product for next year, especially when it could help their new TV deal.

The NXT effect

When Vince McMahon was exiled in disgrace from his WWE empire a few years ago, there was undoubtedly a level of uncertainty around the future of the company, as the publicly-traded corporation had never been without a McMahon in some form or fashion since Vince Sr. founded Capital Wrestling as a northeast group decades ago. More specifically, there was a laundry list of examples of what happened to pro wrestling companies that allowed corporate suites to attempt a paint-by-numbers approach to the sports entertainment business in the past. You can script a push, but you can't shoehorn someone into the role of a money-drawing superstar. The most recent example is, Roman Reigns cast as the next John Cena flopped for several years, and without some level of competition to push the direction of the industry, McMahon tried to force that narrative to almost embarrassing results for 5-6 years on WWE programming. Ironically, but not surprising, when Roman Reigns was allowed to organically evolve as a heel, he had one of the most important title runs of the past few decades for WWE, and his return to the company earlier this month at Summer Slam was an incredibly memorable moment.

Thankfully, when Endeavor, the parent company of the UFC, bought the WWE last year to merge it with the MMA league, the multi-billion dollar conglomerate knew enough to know that they didn't know about pro wrestling. Much like its successful formula with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Endeavor put its media muscle and promotional dollars behind the brand of WWE without attempting to influence the direction of the content. Ari Emanuel makes billions of dollars for Endeavor because he knows how to navigate these waters, he knew he wasn't a wrestling guy so he wasn't going to step on the toes of those who had the experience to run a sports entertainment company.

As we know, Triple H, who many assumed would take over WWE with Stephanie McMahon one day in the future, is now the guy running the organization. It's rather odd that despite being seasoned for the role for several years prior, Triple H was almost minimized in his role when the real-life Paul Levesque had a health scare with heart issues a few years ago. Perhaps, Vince wasn't truly going to give his son-in-law keys to the castle as long as McMahon still had a desk at Titan Towers.

When the horrendous details of a lawsuit against Vince were revealed earlier this year, he became persona non grata within the realm of WWE, which prompted him to sell his stock in the company, relinquishing any interest or control in the organization. TKO, the corporation that was formed under the WWE/UFC merger, firmly gave control to Triple H to steer the direction of the product, while using its distribution power to expand the reach of WWE programming, which is one of the reasons that Bash in Berlin will be hosted in Germany this weekend. From a macro level, that's the biggest effect that TKO had on the dynamics of WWE, it took steps to truly globalize and thus maximize the potential revenue, of the WWE brand.

This will be further cemented when Raw makes the jump to Netflix in January, as it will bring the WWE shows to anywhere with an internet connection. Prior to this, management had to negotiate specific TV deals in different countries throughout the world. As we know, because of the logistics of time zones and travel, many foreign markets don't get many live events, building up the demand for shows to be brought to those countries. The Netflix deal could open the door for more premium shows outside of the United States. 

Of course, that's the business side of the corporate world. Still, Triple H's influence on the WWE on a more weekly basis has also changed many of the troupes of a previous era.

We've seen over the past several months that NXT's working agreement with TNA has been mutually beneficial to everyone involved. Anthem Entertainment wants relatively cheap originally programming, which is why they rescued Impact Wrestling from the brink of collapse in 2016. The show drew great numbers in Canada, and despite the expanded touring schedule over the past two years or so, TNA is essentially a Canadian project. There's nothing wrong with that either, as if it makes a profit and keeps the doors open then it's mission accomplished. Anthem isn't going to invest the cash or take the risks involved to attempt to compete with the American landscape of professional wrestling. Even if they tried, it's doubtful that Anthem could secure the star power or the distribution to try to compete with WWE or AEW. Again, revenue and profit are the true measures of success so if Anthem has found that for TNA then they have a successful business venture.

We've seen NXT talent like Charlie Dempsey and others show up in the Impact Zone, while names like  Jordynne Grace and  Joe Hendry appear on WWE programming. Under McMahon, the WWE rarely ever recognized the existence of other pro wrestling companies and certainly wouldn't take the time to feature other stars. It goes without saying that TNA is absolutely no threat to WWE, and if anything, the survival of TNA provides a platform for more talent to make a name for themselves. Maybe Joe Hendry has the potential to be a major star, but he won't get the chance to fully utilize it unless there's a stage for him to be discovered. The WWE is absolutely a machine, but even they can't discover or develop the entire industry, the cookie-cutter approach to talent development in the mid-2000s was proof of that. With this working agreement, more talent gets their chance to shine, and if WWE finds one top-drawing star from the experiment then it was worth it. At the same time, TNA gets an increase in brand awareness, albeit on a smaller scale, and the added benefit of NXT talent to keep its product more contemporary.

Granted, I still find the concept of a developmental brand on national television to be counterproductive, as it puts less experienced performers on live television where their mistakes can be seen by a more mainstream audience, but considering that the show got a rights deal to move to the CW, it's tough to argument with the goals of the brand if its profitable for the corporation. Along with that, the office has to give the audience of the Tuesday show, which is the least watched on the WWE line-up, a reason to tune into a product that is often inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

Last night, TNA knockout, Rosemary made her surprise NXT debut, and it was another unique element that makes the developmental brand standout among the current crowded wrestling landscape. This isn't to say that Rosemary or necessarily any other TNA talent will suddenly skyrocket to main event Wrestlemania, but it's a fun dynamic that brings an organic dynamic to the show.

That might be the biggest takeaway from the Triple H era so far, the tired cliches that were used to an exhausting level, both from a booking and production approach were mostly phased out of the product, particularly the ridiculous amount of camera cuts when Kevin Dunn left the company. Obviously, Triple H isn't perfect, but the shows have a more organic and spontaneous presentation than the product had for several years.

Sid passed away

Sid Eudy, known for his memorable career inside the ring ropes under variations of his real name, passed away at the age of 63 yesterday after a battle with cancer, according to a post by his son on social media.

Breaking in under a mask in the Memphis territory, Sid Vicious is a unique case, even for the unique genre that is the professional wrestling industry. Standing close to 6'10, Eudy quite literally stood out in a world of eccentric and over-the-top personas. The aura that he had as he walked to the ring with his menacing frame, often proclaiming to be, "the ruler of the world" through clinched teeth, was only matched by his mysterious business choices outside of it.

Make no mistake about it, in a cosmetic business, the look of Psycho Sid seemed like it was built to print money. In fact, he portrayed his later "unbalanced" persona so well that went you take into account some of the backstage tales around his career, you have to wonder if he actually was unbalanced outside of the ring.

Perhaps, it was those business choices or disagreements in some cases that kept him from being a bigger star, despite the rather brief runs that he had at the top of both major companies throughout the 90s.

After less than two years in Memphis, he inked a deal with World Championship Wrestling in 1989, working with Dan Spivey as one half of The Skyscrapers. By definition, Sid was a puppy with big paws so to speak, as just a few years experience led to some absolutely brutal squash matches that saw Sid potato some of the jobbers, although you never got the impression it was intentional. During this era of his career, he had an undistinguished run as a member of The Four Horseman at a time when total lack of direction under Jim Herd prompted WCW to attempt to try to repackage a faction that had prior success.

Without a firm direction in WCW, Sid opted to explore his chances in the WWF, debuting with the organization in mid-1991. In some ways, his relatively short WCW tenure allowed WWF brass to get a glimpse of the potential that he could bring to the table. Sid Justice was put into the mix relatively quickly and worked with the top names in the company. It's important to put this scenario into the proper context, this was during the era when the "big four" pay-per-views really shaped the direction of the entire year, with the crescendo at Wrestlemania and usually that momentum had some type of effect on the card at Summer Slam. Sid was less than a year into his WWF stint when he played a key role in the finish of the Royal Rumble in 1992, which saw Ric Flair win the vacant championship, to set up a WM main event match against Hulk Hogan a few months later. Reportedly, Sid failed a drug test and decided to leave the company because of a disagreement with management for how the failed test should be handled.

In many ways, this situation was a microcosm of Sid's career, as despite main event exposure, he didn't stay anywhere long enough to truly cement himself as a top-tier guy, and that scenario happened on a few different occasions throughout his career.

After almost a year out of the spotlight, Sid resurfaced in World Championship Wrestling in the spring of 1993, but was only there a few months, as that October the infamous scissor incident happened with Arn Anderson during a tour of England. The story has become one of the urban legends of the industry and what did or didn't happen depends on who you ask. Ironically, in the years that followed the incident, neither wrestler had much to say negatively about the other. Regardless of how exactly the argument started or who stabbed who with the pair of scissors, Sid was released from his WCW deal because of the incident.

By early-1995, Sid was back in the WWF, but an injury later in the year sidelined his progress. It became a running joke around his career, but supposedly, when Sid was on the injured list at home, he often enjoyed playing softball. When he was back in action in 1996 under the "Psycho" Sid moniker, this was probably the biggest run of his career, albeit just as brief as most of the others. He won the WWF title when he dethroned Shawn Micheals at the Survivor Series. He went on to main event his second Wrestlemania the following year when he dropped the title to The Undertaker. Reports of a neck injury saw him leave the company just three months later.

Despite the fact that he was in the main event of Wrestlemania in 1997, suggesting that he could've cashed in on the notoriety, Sid spent 1998 with only a handful of independent appearances before he made a few surprise cameos in ECW in early-1999. On one hand, "Psycho" Sid could've worked really well in the environment of extreme, but he was a businessman first, and there's nothing wrong with that. Paul Heyman simply wasn't going to be able to talk him into waiting months to get paid so by mid-1999, he landed once again in WCW.

Similar to the rest of his career, he immediately became a main event player in WCW, winning the heavyweight title by early-2000, but the ship was sinking so it's doubtful that Sid or anyone else was going to turn the company around during his last run there. At the Sin pay-per-view in 2001, Sid suffered an absolutely horrific leg injury during the main event that essentially ended his career. He made a handful of wrestling appearances in the decade after that, including a memorable cameo on Raw in 2012, but the serious leg injury ended his career when he probably still had a few years of full-time wrestling left in the tank.

The sum total of Sid's career was that he was undoubtedly a great attraction just not a polished in-ring worker, which was exposed when he had to work on weekly television during the latter portion of his career, as opposed to the house show format earlier. Basically, the more you saw him, the less impressive he was, which is probably one of the reasons he didn't stay in one place long enough to ever get stale. As much as miscalculated business decisions led to short stints, there was always a demand to see him back in the fold because each jump gave him a fresh start to cash-in on such an impressive look and performance. Sid's character and performance were authentic and believable, which was why he was a main event guy almost his entire career. Again, he didn't stay anywhere long enough to true get a solid run as the top guy, but he was always booked around the main event talent, which is why he was one of the most memorable performers of that era.

All In review

All Elite Wrestling's All In pay-per-view from Wembley Stadium is in the books, and there should largely be a positive outlook for the company going into the fall. However, there were undoubtedly conflicting narratives that muddied the waters and somewhat hindered the presentation of some segments. Still, this was a rather strong offering from the organization at a time where they needed to deliver a quality event.

The show opened with the trios ladder match, which is questionably because to start with the car crash segment, it puts at least the next few matches that follow with a hill to climb. A stiff headlock simply isn't going to seem as devastating after seeing more than a dozen bumps onto ladders ten minutes earlier. With four teams involved, this bout got very clunky and very crowded at certain points, and I'm not sure if any of that could've been avoided. There were times when it looked like a traffic jam for wrestlers to either get out of the way of the next spot or to get set for the next spot, and unfortunately, it looked overly choreographed, even for a segment that you expect to look overly choreographed. Another aspect that goes along with the territory is that you have literally a dozen wrestlers involved, and the amount of table spots, ladder bumps, and dives completely gets lost in a potpourri of chaos. A few of the still dangerous, but less spectacular bumps could've been eliminated and it truly wouldn't have affected the quality of the contest. Ultimately, there were unneeded risks, and that's something that should be limited, based on the injury rate in AEW. Most importantly, how many of these dangerous bumps are the audience going to remember after a four-hour pay-per-view?

Pac really shined here with a series of dives, the guy is poetry in motion, and if he'd be on the shows more often, the argument could be made that he could be a bigger asset for the organization. Juice Robinson took a nasty bump off the apron and the table didn't break in the latter portion of the match. The spot where The Gunns climbed on the backs of their opponents on the ladders just for everyone to fall through tables was odd. Pac got the belts to win the match for his team, which got a nice reaction from the crowd to give him the hometown moment. That said, it didn't seem like the crowd was actually invested in what team won the match, but rather how many bumps there were going to be, which suggests that the Trios titles lack importance. Again, the pop at the finish was for Pac getting the win in his hometown, not exactly that he won a championship on a makeshift team with the Blackpool Combat Club.

Mariah May beat Toni Storm to win the AEW Women's championship, and this bout was an example of conflicting narratives that took away from the overall presentation. Based on the bloody beat down when May turned on Toni, this had the set up for a solid grudge match, but it wasn't exactly worked that way. About half way through the contest, May was bleeding, in theory a rightfully act of revenge for her sneak attack against Storm, but instead of selling it with a level of shock, as if the heel is surprised they finally got what they deserved, Mariah sold it by crying, which puts her in the position of a sympathetic figure. Along the same lines, just before that, May slapped her mom at ringside. First of all, there was no context as to who she was and she's never been on any of the shows before so she's not established in any way for the audience to be invested into her involvement. Secondly, why exactly did Mariah slap her own mom? If there was a backstory, it was never told so it was completely random and came off as a flimsy, desperate attempt to get cheap heat, which added nothing because the previously mentioned turn on Toni was more than enough to sell this match on pay-per-view. After the exchange, Toni eventually went to hug Mariah's mom. Again, why is this happening? Do they know each other and is there some background that wasn't explained? Most importantly, Toni Storm is in the middle of a grudge match for the championship with an opponent that bloodied her on television, but she's going to stop in the middle and hug the random lady in the front row? It was established that Mariah is dangerous because of the prior attack, why would Storm be willing to turn her back on an opponent?

This was a well wrestled match as far as the performance of each maneuver, and these two are more than capable of putting on a quality pay-per-view match, but the over-the-top theatrics took away from that. Finally, after Toni lost the belt, she was smiling and waving on her way backstage so unless this is the start of a change in her character, why would she smile after losing a title?

Hook beat Chris Jericho to win the FTW title, but this was more of a segment than a match. It was three-on-one for most of the segment, and it was just an extended beat down that became very tedious, despite the fact that it only went 10 minutes. It appeared that this was the conclusion of the angle, and it should be, but if that was the case, they probably would've been better served to have a 10-minute match to be able to work some type of pace to the action rather than this clunky segment. Eventually, Taz choked out Bryan Keith, which was cool and got a major pop, while Hook made Jericho tap to win the title.

The three-way tag team title match was fine, but it never really got into second gear and didn't develop into anything too memorable, which is somewhat of a letdown, taking into account the talent of the teams involved. Quite frankly, FTR are too talent to get less than 12 minutes in a stadium for a match that was thrown together to more or less shoehorn more names onto the card than anything else. Don't get me wrong, this was entertaining for what it was, but you'd expect more on this stage, especially because of the focus the company put on tag team wrestling in the past. As much as the early portions of the angle that turned the EVPs heel made sense, The Young Bucks haven't really done much as champions for this particularity reign. The Bucks retained when they hit Dax with the double knees. Post-match, The Grizzled Young Vets showed up and attacked Cash Wheeler. Adding more wrestlers to the roster is exactly what AEW needs to do, right?

The gauntlet was fun, with the surprise entrants of Nigel McGuinness and Ricochet. This was a really nice moment for Nigel, who through a series of unfortunate injuries and health issues never truly got the credit he deserves for his career. At 48, Nigel should probably consider this cameo his proper sendoff rather than a potential comeback. Given the same history of injuries that hinder his career as an in-ring wrestler in the big leagues, there's no reason for him to risk potential injuries in the ring at a significantly older age. As I wrote an in article about Ricochet's rumored arrival to AEW, it makes sense for him to make the jump because he was typecast in WWE, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if he gets lost in the shuffle in a matter of weeks in AEW. Christian getting the win to secure a title shot at anytime was somewhat puzzling, specifically because there was already the Christian/Swerve main event storyline just a few months ago so it's more or less a total retread. All things considered, this was probably a missed opportunity to set up a scenario to elevate someone else on the roster.

At this point in the show, we're about half way through the broadcast, and while nothing was subpar, there wasn't anything epic either. Thankfully, the latter portion of the card was the meat of the matter so to speak. I will still say that Will Ospreay should've been booked to win the AEW world title to maximize the moment and opportunity in Wembley Stadium, as it's fairly obvious that the International belt is just a prop among the countless titles in the company. Still, Ospreay and MJF delivered a top quality performance that had the in-ring action that you'd expect from an All Elite PPV, but had enough psychology to have the peaks and valleys to make the most of the situation. This went about 25 minutes so they could've trimmed off a few minutes, but it built really well toward the conclusion and didn't drag during the segment. This is easier said than done since athletes of this caliber are rare, but if AEW had more of this and less of the usual nonsense, it's doubtful there would be sluggish ratings, which suggests that Tony is a great matchmaker to put together two talented stars that can have a great match, just a subpar booker in terms of weekly television. One of the details that made this contest as good as it was at Wembley, was the fact that they both took the time to properly sell the major spots to make the most of the narrative. Ospreay beat MJF with the tiger driver, which was the only logical finish because of the storyline that they used for the past few months.

Next up, Britt Baker challenged Mercedes Mone for the TBS title. This bout was somewhat sloppy, suggesting that Britt might have some ring rust, but it was still very solid because these two worked with an intensity that usually isn't seen in most AEW matches. This looked like a grudge match and the level of intensity can sometimes excuse some of the sloppiness with certain spots. This was a physical, fast-paced contest that had the audience following the action to see who was going to get the advantage toward the conclusion. Mone landed her finisher to retain the title. I'm nor sure what's next because in theory, a stadium showdown would be the payoff to a feud, but these two could easily get more mileage from this rivalry on television.

The TNT title match was a 10-minute sprint, which was a good decision because the ladder match earlier in the card already had the extended time that it takes to set up spots. This was more or less what you'd expect from a Darby Allin pay-per-view bout, there's going to be a car crash segment with completely unnecessary risks, but somehow it's going to remain intriguing throughout the match. Darby gluing tacks to his face was ridiculous. The dive he took into the casket lid was brutal. Jack Perry using a bag of broken glass to remind everyone that the biggest star that AEW ever had now works for the WWE and draws much bigger numbers than anything All Elite can generate was also a reminder that AEW is still amateur hour by comparison, which is a shame given the quality of some of this card. Perry landed a knee to put Darby in the casket to retain the title. The Sting cameo was really fun, and it's often said that pro wrestling is about the moments, this was definitely a really cool moment. The stadium singing along with Seek and Destroy while Sting dispatches the heels is great stuff.

The main event went almost 30 minutes and I thought it got verbose at some points, but overall it was mission accomplished. Speaking of moments, this main event gave Bryan Danielson the underdog comeback to win the championship and celebrate with his family in the ring while Final Countdown blared in Wembley Stadium. Taking into account how talented and beloved he is, it's tough to argue that this wasn't the right way to finish the pay-per-view, regardless of the path it took to get there. The only problem is, and this underscores the conflicting narratives that were mentioned earlier, Swerve Strickland got pushed to the title because he organically got over as a baby face during the feud with Adam Page when he was initially slotted to be a heel. The audience turned Swerve baby face, and in many ways, this storyline tried to shoehorn him into the role of a heel again, which is way too early in terms of the progress of his character. The result could be that Swerve ends up indifferent as a character without any direction.

Still, the main event will be memorable for the quality finish. The second half of this show was very strong, and in some respects, showed what All Elite is capable of when it plays to its strengths as a brand. Reportedly, Danielson plans to finish his career and expects to need neck surgury by the end of the year so if I had to guess, I'd say he will drop the title in his home state of Washington at the Wrestle Dream pay-per-view.

Will Ricochet sign for AEW?

Just before All Elite Wrestling is set for its pay-per-view, All In at Wembley Stadium, a report surfaced that the former WWE star, Ricochet has inked a multi-year deal with the company, with speculation that he will make a surprise debut during the event in London. He was last seen on Raw at the end of June when he was attacked by Bron Breakker to be written out of television.

During an edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez mentioned that the word is that former WWE Intercontinental champion is expected to make his debut with the organization during the PPV.

The aerial star began wrestling when he was still a teenager and over the course of two decades, has worked for more or less every major organization in the industry. He competed for numerous indies, had a stellar run in New Japan, and worked under a mask in Lucha Underground. He eventually signed a WWE developmental deal in 2018 and spent more than six years under contract. Despite several title runs, including the IC and US belts at various points over his WWE tenure, it still seemed like management never really knew exactly what to do with him, as the start and stop pushes that he received never allowed him to generate enough momentum to truly be elevated in terms of getting to the next level as a star. 

Don't get me wrong, his athletic ability is incredible, but the office didn't commit enough time and enough of a promotional push at any specific point to truly move him up the card. Regardless of how many titles he held, he was still positioned as the entertaining high-flyers that would often be used to make others look good instead of booked in a way to boost his own stock. Each time management put the brakes on an individual push, it almost reinforced to the audience that Ricochet was a mid-card guy. Furthermore, when he was paired with Braun Strowman for a tag team stint, it was another way for him to play second fiddle in some respects, he wasn't the star, he was the sidekick to the star. Some of the attempts to repackage him for a broader audience were too ham-handed to have any realistic chance to be successful, such as when he was put in a super hero type bodysuit. It just looked rather silly compared to his usual high-flyer presentation.

The reason why Ricochet didn't get a chance to work the upper portion of the card might be as simple as the fact that he didn't have the prototypical size that the company looks for, especially during the Vince McMahon era,  but regardless of the reason, he was still branded as a mid-card talent with a ceiling in WWE.

That being said, the office knows the value that he has as an athlete, particularly as a utility worker as far as being an asset to the company. Keep in mind, Ricochet allowed his contract to expire and opted not to re-sign with WWE, he wasn't released. He probably could've signed a new deal and continued to make good in the WWE, but again, he was stalled in terms of his progress in the organization.

Obviously, it's not too difficult to guess that he probably will land in All Elite Wrestling since that's where the best money outside of WWE can be made, and in some cases, even more money can be offered if Tony Khan wants to keep someone away from the WWE. If Ricochet can get more money from Tony than he can from TKO, he should take it because making as much cash as possible is the entire point of the business. For a performer of his caliber, anything other than the two major groups would be a step down. He still has prime years of his career left so TNA or MLW are too small of a scale for what he can bring to the table, which is enough skill to be on the biggest stage possible. New Japan could use the star power, and his history there would allow him to be perceived as a major star, but again the business is about making the most money possible, and as we've seen during the past few years that the Japanese league can't compete with the money offered from AEW or WWE.

Still, if Ricochet debuts tomorrow in the stadium, will he have a successful run in All Elite Wrestling?

All things considered, outside of one exception, there's nothing that makes me think that Ricochet won't end up in the same spot as almost every new acquisition for the company. He will get the artificial debut pop, he will be featured on television for a few weeks, and then he will get lost in the shuffle with occasional matches on Rampage that only a fraction of the AEW audience watches on TNT. I'm not trying to be overly negative, and considering how truly talented Ricochet is, I'd rather say that he will get a chance to shine to his fullest potential, but I don't see that being the case for him, based on the countless names that end up in the witness protection program because they are rarely showcased on AEW programming. I will ask again, has anyone seen Ricky Starks?

While it's a safe bet that Ricochet will show up at All In, I expect his run in the organization to be something similar to that of Miro or Andrade, someone that you'd expect to flourish outside of the WWE, but for whatever reason it doesn't happen. Is Miro still under contract?

The one caveat of all of this is that it will be an opportunity for Will Ospreay and Ricochet to work another series of matches. The two had a spectacular bout in New Japan several years ago that many pundits and critics took notice of at the time, and it was one of the matches that garnered Ospreay more notoriety. Granted, the reason for this will probably be nothing more than the fact that Tony Khan wants to recreate something from New Japan in an AEW ring, which is why he booked the Continental Classic to mimic the G1 tournament last year, but the bottom line is, it will be an opportunity for American fans to get to see Ospreay and Ricochet deliver a dazzling spot fest on pay-per-view. The match-up would be tremendous and give the fans their money's worth, but similar to almost everything else in AEW, it will be a coincidence since it was something that Tony wanted to see rather than the business that could be done, which is why there would be no or minimal follow-up, as it wouldn't be a part of a long-term booking plan so then  Ricochet will be just another guy on the roster.

So, yes, Ricochet will probably make his All Elite Wrestling debut in London tomorrow, but it's possible that even that might be lost in the shuffle of an overbooked four-hour pay-per-view with a slew of gimmick matches. As I said, if not the WWE, Ricochet will work for All Elite, and at 35, he still has prime years left in his career so it makes sense that he doesn't want to continue to flounder without a solid direction under the TKO banner, but unfortunately, Tony Khan's track record of booking new signings doesn't suggest that Ricochet will automatically be in a better spot in AEW,