The career of Trapper Tom

"Breathe!"

That's what a random patron of Lawrenceville's Moose establishment told a frazzled ring announcer as he splashed water on his face under the florescent lights of the restroom. The stranger dried his hands and tossed a crumbled paper towel into a trash cash without a second thought while the MC for the evening diligently straightened his tie in the mirror, making sure that all of his note cards were in order before he walked to the ring. One was there for a casual night of entertainment, the other was at the first day on the job.

That was April 16, 2005, and that jittery ring announcer was Thomas Leturgey, a Pittsburgh native that was just minutes away from taking the plunge into the world of professional wrestling, a decision that ultimately shaped the direction of the rest of his life.

"I have been blessed beyond words with the friendships and opportunities that I have made in professional wrestling. Bobby O and I would often say, 'Not bad for a couple of kids from Cal U.' These wrestlers aren’t just friends, they are family," Leturgey explained.

"When thinking about the many friends who have played a huge part in my professional wrestling career, Trapper Tom must be counted near the top. Together, we have enjoyed the company of several wrestling legends, and have made many of our own wonderful memories together, added Mark Charles III, Pittsburgh area referee known as "The Count" for his studious approach to the officiating job. 

For more than two decades, the brass-voiced Leturgey has been the vocal conductor of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, a league that has been a fixture of Pittsburgh, a city known almost as much for its wrestling as the steel it once produced, for a quarter of a century. With the famous Pittsburgh Studio Wrestling program as a historical blue print, KSWA, since its inception, has aimed to recapture the classic pro wrestling style of the golden era of the steel city. With "Chilly" Billy Cardille as the host of the studio show, names like Bruno Sammartino, Bobby "Hurricane" Hunt, "The Fighting Cop From Carnegie" Frank Holtz, JJ Dillon, and "The Battman" Tony Marino provided a foundation for what pro wrestling was built on in the region. As a nod to the lineage of the area, those names were also recognized by KSWA with inductions into the promotion's Hall of Fame over the years. With a focus on over-the-top family-friendly entertainment as a throwback to a bygone era, the "mega stars" of KSWA bring colorful characters and traditional clashes of heroes vs. villains to its loyal fan base, dubbed the "KSWA Krazies."

Affectionately known as "Trapper" Tom by fans and peers alike,  Leturgey is as much of a throwback as the promotion itself. He has made a career both inside and outside of media for the better part of four decades, spanning back to when he made his on-air debut at a 500-watt radio station behind his high school in Cambria County. When the 15-year-old hit the airwaves, the broadcasts emanated from a shack built of cinder blocks.

"I read directly from that morning’s Johnstown Tribune-Democrat. When the sports guy left, I read sports from the paper. When the DJ left, I did all three jobs before some of my fellow high school friends joined me. We were all volunteers," Trapper said.

The domino effect that eventually led Leturgey to a life in pro wrestling, and media itself, began from there, prompting him to attend California University of Pennsylvania in 1986, a time when the Rock N' Wrestling era was just beginning to peak. It was in the halls of higher education that not only did Leturgey get involved in every form of media available at the time, he also met a fellow wrestling fan, Bobby O, the future owner of the KSWA, with a friendship that has continued over the span of 40 years.

"That led to me going to California University of Pennsylvania in 1986. That’s where I met Bobby O. I did it all there. Morning, evening DJ, newscaster, covered sports with Bobby O and others. And, got involved in the campus TV station and more importantly, the campus newspaper," Trapper Tom commented.

Post-graduation from Cal-U, Leturgey landed a long-tenured and very successful career outside of the media realm, but the echos of Myron Cope, Mike Lange, Greg Brown, Bill Hillgrove and Stan Savran, or the columns of the late, Dale Lolley embedded the pursuit of journalism in his mind. In fact, old school seems to be a part of Leturgey's make up, as he was a natural at painting the verbal or literary picture for the audience. "Trapper" wouldn't look out of place with a press pass tucked into a fedora if a DeLorean could hit 88 MPH to transport him back in time to cover the plays of Roberto Clemente or Rocky Bleier.

"As longtime voice of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance, he harkens back to the golden era of Wrestling, and you will be hard pressed to find a more loyal friend," said Mark Charles.

As with anything, he started out with scholastic newspapers before he began writing for the South Hills Community paper after his college tenure and then continued to freelance for various outlets over the years as often as possible. He had a knack for the written word that simply couldn't be ignored. Eventually, he pitched stories to the Valley Manor, freelancing for them until he became a regular contributor for the publication in more recent years.

"I submitted things to the Valley Mirror newspaper and inquired when they were looking for freelancers. The rest is history," Leturgey remarked.

It goes without saying that with the late, legendary Hulk Hogan as his favorite in-ring grappler of all time that Trapper Tom had to put pen to paper about his love for the squared circle as well. Freelancing again opened the door for Trapper, and when his work was viewed, he was asked to contribute, making him a valuable asset in another form of media. When Greg Oliver of Slam Wrestling, one of the most well-known pro wrestling outlets, offered him a place to contribute there as well, Trapper found himself as a stalwart of squared circle coverage.

"He would ask me to cover things, or I would pass along stories on my own. Unfortunately, I was writing a lot of obituaries for them. We lost a lot of Studio Wrestling and independent wrestlers and personalities there for a stretch of time. Before he passed, I wrote a feature on Virgil that cleared up a lot of rumors about Mike Jones. It was like the third most viewed feature on Slam that year that wasn’t an obituary. Slam Wrestling featured seasoned authors and journalists who wrote about sports," Trapper Tom said.

Despite decades of his work in print in one form or another,  Leturgey has no plans of slowing down on his keyboard, with the written word as his focus going forward.

"My present and future projects will be in writing. I will continue to write about wrestling, local news, features and in the world of art. In addition to Fine Art Auctioneers like Ray Taylor and Mitch Carter, I’ve interviewed great contemporary artists like Lisa Me and KeF!," he added.

Just recently, Leturgey reached a milestone in his prose, contributing to the book “Behind The Mic: Pittsburgh's Greatest Sports Broadcast Journalists.” When it comes to journalist excellent around the storied history of the steel city, specifically professional wrestling, Leturgey is top-notch so his contribution to the book speaks volumes to his reputation.

Over the past twenty years, Trapper Tom has provided the introductions for  local legends like T. Rantula and Lord Zoltan, and national stars like The Rock N' Roll Express. However, he has occasionally got in the ring when the situation called for it, competing in a few official bouts to stand up to the villains. His in-ring career proved just how wild the sports entertainment business can be for anyone involved in the production of live cards. His record isn't as stellar as Andre's run, but Trapper has been in a handful of battle royals, a tag match alongside KSWA icon, Lou Martin, and even a four-team "Captain's match." 

"I was in my late 30’s then and worked out for that silly gimmick match. I got beat down by the dastardly Biker Al, who was then suspended through the summer. When he was to come back, I challenged him to a match, but Lou Martin stepped in to calm me down. He and I took on Biker Al and Del Douglas. Lou pinned Del, but I was able to hit Douglas with a Bionic Elbow. The Captain’s Series featured one non-wrestler on each team. It was a mishmash of talent, but I was snap-marred and pinned by Studio Wrestling great, Frank Durso, who was in his 70’s at the time. I loved all of it, but realized I was best served with a microphone in my hand," Tom said.

"Trapper Tom is the definitive voice of the KSWA. He even gave me the moniker 'Pride of Springdale' during a local event. What I thought was a one time comment has turned into a ongoing introduction that has followed me throughout the region," confirmed Shawn Patrick, a legendary western Pennsylvania referee with decades of experience that is beloved by fans and his peers.

Leturgey has lived dreams, built friendships, and made family all through the genre of pro wrestling. He didn't know it when he attended his first KSWA event in 2004 with his son Tyler, but the local league that was woven into the fabric of Pittsburgh also became woven into the narrative of his life. He has only missed a handful of KSWA dates during his tenure as ring announcer, as his wife Marion insists on an annual vacation to unwind. Trapper passed off the mic to his "Vulcan brother" Luke Hixon on those occasions, but Tom still had to keep his reporter hat on even when he was supposed to be relaxing in the sun.

"I always bring my laptop. I’m not happy unless I am working or promoting something. I have written more than 800 pieces about the KSWA over the years. We helped enrich and promote the in-ring career of the likes of Lord Zoltan and T-Rantula and I couldn’t be prouder," he explained.

"With his golden pen, Trapper Tom has helped to solidify the legend of The Count in Western Pennsylvania and beyond, through the many stories he’s published about my own personal journey in professional wrestling," Mark Charles chimed in.

Radio broadcasts, ABA games, high school basketball, and of course, professional wrestling have all been sound tracked by Leturgey. Much like he hit a career milestone with the book publication of signature Pittsburgh broadcasters earlier this year, he will reach another benchmark to close the year. After 25 years of thrills and philanthropy, as the organization ran numerous fundraisers and charity events each year, the KSWA will have its final event in the Sheraden neighborhood at the American Legion Post 496, a home base for the company, on December 6th. In a shining examples of KSWA's greater mission, the fan fest event will once again host a toy drive for those in need in Allegheny country this holiday season.

The organizers behind the scenes of the wrestling league cited the increased workload and exhausting process of promoting dozens of events each year as the reason behind the decision to promote a finale card, As bittersweet as it might be, the memories, friendships and impressions the KSWA made for the past 25 years will have a lasting effects on those that experienced it, it certainly did on Leturgey. Because of that, after more than a 20-year career as a ring announcer, he felt it was only right to take his final bow on the same night that the curtain closes on the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance.

"I couldn’t imagine frequently being on shows that didn’t feature Lou Martin, Shawn Blanchard, Del Douglas, Shane Starr, Mark Charles, and so many others," he explained.

"Trapper" Tom didn't know it that day in 2005 when he nervously proclaimed introductions in Lawrenceville for the first time, but he will be reminded of all of the thrills, friends and family he made throughout his journey in professional wrestling on December 6th in Sheraden.

Full Gear review

All Elite Wrestling's Full Gear pay-per-view is in the books and from an overall perspective, it wasn't anything too over-the-top, but maybe that viewpoint is skewed by the fact that the Blood and Guts matches were less than two weeks ago. At the same time, there were some newsworthy happenings during the broadcast that could give an indication of the direction of the organization ahead of 2026. In many ways, this show made the same format flaws seen on most All Elite PPVs. Tony Khan, being the matchmaker that he is rather than a booker, gave a blanket 20-minutes to most of the key matches on the card without seemingly any thought as to if those bouts should've had or needed that amount of time. Along the same lines, the pattern telegraphed and thus hinder the attempt to build drama throughout the night. It got to the point that there were a lot of near falls, but not necessarily many false finishes because it was obvious that it wasn't even remotely possible that a pin fall attempt might actually be the conclusion of the contest unless the match was near the 20-minute mark. A booker knows how to tailor the amount of time given to a segment based on the nature of the match and the storyline. Tony Khan simply didn't do that here and it undoubtedly affected the pace of the event. I know I've said this many times, but I will continue to note that not every card needs to be four and a half or five hours. More wrestling isn't automatically better wrestling, and in this case, it only led to a tedious viewing experience at certain points of the show. Of course, the potential sale of Warner Brothers Discovery looms in the background as it could have a direct impact on the status of the company on the Turner networks, depending on what, if any, organization buys the company. As of this writing, Comcast, Netflix and Paramount are all reported to have made offers to WBD, and all three of those options have some type of current agreement with the TKO corporation.

Similar to the previous pay-per-view, Full Gear kicked off with the continuation of a bout from the pre-show, which is fine since it provides something unique for the All Elite presentation. That being said, the CMLL trios tag belts being defended on this show meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, and that notion was underscored by the way the segment was booked. The narrative, as it should've been, was the dissension between the Don Callis family. The problem is, this is a match that could've been booked for television and accomplished the same goal, which matters when a show runs as long as this broadcast. Maybe I'm wrong, but I still think that AEW is missing the boat on the chance to truly utilize their lucha stars in the biggest way possible. Too often, Tony Khan takes the smart mark approach to his product, which is one of the major flaws of the national organization, and there isn't nearly enough of an explanation of the lucha libre background. As far back as 1997 in WCW, there were simple video packages that explained the fundamental aspects of lucha libre, as well as Mike Tenay's tremendous work as an announcer on Nitro to emphasize the importance of lucha libre in Mexico. Tony Khan appears to think that since he reads The Wrestling Observer that everyone is aware of these luchadors with very little or no exposure in the United States. Does anyone really know who Neon is? Does the national audience know anything about Mascara Dorada? Their talent isn't in doubt, that's not the point, the much bigger aspect is that for them to be assets to the company, they have to be showcased as stars, not just random high spot guys wearing masks. They retained the trios belts alongside Mistico, which made this segment even more suitable for television, not the pay-per-view.

Pac vs. Darby Allin was fine for what it was, but similar to a few other bouts on the card, this was tame compared to what happened at Blood and Guts less than two weeks ago, which is another prime example as to why the cage matches should've been booked for Full Gear instead. Pac's new look makes him appear rather generic, but he's still juiced to the gills so maybe his attire is moot. Darby Allin took some ridiculous bumps, including a power slam to the floor and going through the turnbuckles to bounce off of the ring post. Those bumps aren't nearly as brutal, considering that he took a slam off of the set through a flaming table last week, but I digress. Pac got the victory, which was somewhat puzzling unless he's going to be a regular on AEW programming again.

The women's four way tag match was sloppy and pointless, as the winning team gets to pick the stipulation for the semi-final match of the women's tag team tournament. Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa won, but this is another bout that should've been on television instead of PPV. If I had to guess, I'd say that the only reason this was booked was to shoehorn as many wrestlers on the card as possible.

FTR beat Brody King and Bandido to win the tag team titles, and this was a segment that justified the 20 minutes that it was given. You could make the argument that there was a a degree of overkill with the amount of moves to get to the finish, but overall this was a great match that represented the positives about the AEW brand. It was fast-paced, hard-hitting, and had peaks and valleys that built a level of drama toward the finish. While the Ring Of Honor world title is merely a prop, this AEW tag title run has given Bandido a firm role and a direction that makes him a commodity alongside Brody King. This was a throw together team that organically worked so despite dropping the belts, they should continue as a duo in the division. Everything that FTR does is crisp and smooth, with this bout as an example of why they are probably still the best in-ring tag team in the business. That said, with the Young Bucks face turn later in the night, hopefully this wasn't a booking decision made just to position FTR as transitional champions to lose the belts to The Bucks. Despite what could be a fresh chapter for Matt and Nick Jackson, I'd still say that the audience wants to see less, not more of The Young Bucks on AEW programming.

Ricochet won the gauntlet to win the national title, which is completely pointless. There's absolutely no reason for All Elite to add yet another title to the organization. This does nothing for Ricochet as a character, and the notion of a national champion when there was already an international and continental champion is just silly. Furthermore, this segment was almost 25 minutes, and if the contest had been cut from the card entirely, it probably would've provided a better overall viewing experience.

Kyle O'Reilly defeated Jon Moxley in a no hold barred match, a lazy way to book another hardcore bout on the card. If this would've been kept a physical, technical bout to emphasize the brutal strikes or submissions, they could've had something that stood out  from the homogenized formula of gimmick matches, but they resorted to using the fork and blood within the first few minutes. In a vacuum, this was solid for what it was, but taking into context not only the entire product, but just this broadcast alone, it was just repetitive use of blood as a substitute for compelling storytelling on the show. O'Reilly is a tremendous athlete, but what's the basis for a blood feud with Moxley? Did the feud or lack thereof really justify this type of match? More specifically, they did the exact same spot where Moxley got stabbed in the head with the fork as he did during the match with Adam Page at All In a few months ago so it's not nearly as impactful now. O'Reilly got the win via submission, but I'm not sure what that translates to because there's logically not anywhere else for the feud to go from here so it remains to be seen if it will actually boost his status in the company.

As far as a retread, the same thing can be said for the Mark Briscoe vs.Kyle Fletcher bout. These two had a very good gimmick match, but when it's put on this card, specifically in this match order, it means significantly less as far as its impact to make the participants bigger stars. The audience just saw blood minutes before this so it means nothing after that. It's disappointing that Briscoe bled buckets for minimal reaction and minimal effectiveness. Give them credit for all the risks that they took, and on a different card, it might've been a highlight of the night, as it proved that Fletcher is a versatile performer, but since it was booked on this card in this order, that's not really the narrative of the segment. They somewhat telegraphed the finish, as it was obvious that the pin wasn't going to happen until the barbed wire table was used. Briscoe won the TNT championship, and hopefully, he will get a chance to truly showcase himself, as he was a lot more to offer than what he's been booked for in AEW.

The trios match was a dazzling spot fest, albeit a carbon copy of matches that we've seen before. The bigger story than the high spots or the fact that The Jurassic Express and Kenny Omega won, was that The Young Bucks turned baby face after the match. As mentioned earlier, I'm not sure the audience cares what The Bucks do at this point, or if there's really a demand for them to be featured more on the program, especially after the attempt to lean into the criticism with the heel EVPs run fell flat. This might be too harsh, but the reality is that the "stain" of a lot of the backstage chaos from a few years ago, including what prompted the biggest star to leave the company, is still on The Young Bucks. It will be interesting to see if the audience buys them as baby faces going forward.

I was surprised that Kris Statlander retained the TBS championship against Mercedes Mone, and it was a solid bout, but at this point of the show when it was after midnight, another 25-minute match just made the match tedious. There were a few flat points, simply because it's almost unavoidable after the four-hour mark. Aside from that, I have no idea where Mone goes from here since it's not as though her quest to collect belts has boosted the numbers.

The cage match was fine except that there was even more blood that became completely repetitive. Samoa Joe will be a legend when he hangs up his boots, and he bled buckets to try to make this a worthy main event, but the whole thing was just unnecessary. At 12:15 AM, there wasn't anything that Adam Page or Joe were going to be able to do to make a difference. I understand that Hook was on the injured list for a while, but taking into consideration that he wasn't booked for anything too important before that, I'm not sure the heel turn truly means anything in the bigger picture. The return of Swerve Strickland adds more depth to the roster, but that aspect is almost moot when AEW continues to be such a slapstick product.

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Jousha

Jake Paul's next sideshow fight is booked and it might be the start of the decline of his time as a draw in boxing.

I've said it before and I will say it again, Jake Paul isn't a legitimate boxer and truth be told, he has no reason to want to be. Similar to many others from the "famous for being famous" category on social media, Paul has found a way to parlay social media success into other avenues. He took a page from the professional wrestling playbook and cast himself as a villain, as people will pay to see him lose. It's been used in sports entertainment for decades, and is nothing new to boxing either. Floyd Mayweather used the same "bad guy" marketing tactic during the second half of his very lucrative career, albeit with often hand-picked opponents that he knew weren't a true threat to his undefeated record.

Besides the obvious difference that Floyd was a legitimate boxer, the problem of the Jake Paul selling point is that since he relies on gimmicks for his fights, the longevity of how long the general public will pay to watch it is much shorter. Paul knows that, which is why he has taken incrementally more serious opponents to try to stretch how long he can generate big payoffs from the sport. That's why he doesn't want to be a legitimate boxer, because it will expose, and it already has, the fact that he's a novice fighter that used his fame from outside of the ring to cash in on the sport.

A look at his laundry lists of legal issues and accusations prove that he's a sleazy guy, but from purely a capitalism perspective, Jake Paul has found a way to get paid millions of dollars for circus fights. As a purest, I shake my head, especially because the Canelo/Crawford bout in September was a showcase of what top-notch boxing brings to the table, but there's no doubt that Jake Paul, at least for right now, can draw money.

His next fight was originally scheduled for this month against WBA lightweight champion, Gervonta Davis, who has an undefeated record of 30-0 with wins against credible opponents. As with every Jake Paul production, there was a gimmick. Davis is a lightweight, and Jake Paul has fought between crusierweight or heavyweight. The fight was initially supposed to be held in Georgia, but was moved to Florida because there were issues getting a fight sanctioned when there was such a size difference, but gimmicks aren't anything new for a Jake Paul contest. He fought a social media influencer, a basketball player, an out of shape Ben Askren, who was just there for the payday, Tyron Woodley and Anderson Silva after they were both clearly passed their respective primes, and then finally an actual boxer when he squared off with Tommy Fury. Sure, Tommy Fury is a completely mediocre boxer and his only claim to fame is that he's the brother of a former heavyweight champion, but he beat Jake Paul in 2023. So, when Jake Paul finally fought an actual, albeit mediocre boxer, he lost. Paul beat Nate Diaz, who was more or less just there for the check since he's basically done fighting in MMA before fought a pair of tomato cans that nobody has heard of after that. His contest against Mike Perry was laughable, as Perry was a former UFC competitor that was primarily known for wrestling so the victory was against another guy that wasn't a threat, but was willing to take the fight for the payday.

Jake Paul moved the needle when he fought a 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November, selling almost 60,000 tickets and generating a live gate of over $18 million. Granted, the biggest selling point was Tyson back in the ring, and the fact that the spectacle was woefully underwhelming, especially compared to what the general public expected with Mike Tyson on the marquee, was almost irrelevant when it was able to draw that much money. Paul's fight earlier this year against the infamously lazy Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was also completely underwhelming when Paul secured a lackluster decision win. Chavez Jr. had proven previously in his career that he's not a dangerous opponent, and similar to the rest of his career, he only brought his last name to the table for the fight against Paul. Post-fight, Chavez Jr. was arrested and deported back to Mexico for alleged connections to the drug cartels.

The same way that he brought Tyson into the fold when he needed to try to reignite interest in his boxing exploits, Jake Paul got Gervonta Davis as a legitimate opponent, but of course the catch was that Davis is a significantly smaller fighter. Why does Jake Paul fight without a gimmick stipulation with every card? The answer to that is simple because when he fought an actual boxer within a reasonable weight class, a fighter that was mediocre at best, he lost. Paul knows that if he loses, the audience will get what they paid to see, and given that watching him lose is the novelty, there's not a reason for them to have to pay to see it again.

The decision loss to Tommy Fury is one thing, but a brutal knockout or stoppage is the ultimate payoff to the entire Jake Paul "angle" as a boxer. The chances that Davis was going to be able to do that weren't zero, but it was a minimal risk. Given the size difference, the bout was scheduled to be an exhibition since the athletic commission wouldn't sanction it as a pro fight, highlighting just how silly the entire presentation is, until a lawsuit was filed against Davis earlier this month. The legal action accused him of domestic violence and kidnapping. The serious nature of the accusations prompted the bout to be cancelled, with other opponents considered for the fight that will air on Netflix.

After shuffling through potential opponents, former two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua was selected for the bout scheduled for December 19th in Miami, Florida on Netflix. Taking into account the platform, it will be interesting to see if there are any Paul/Joshua commercials during WWE programming. The British heavyweight is a serious, albeit under achieving contender, with key loses that kept him at the second tier of heavyweights over the past several years. In mid-2019, he suffered a shocking knockout loss in the seventh round to relatively unknown Andy Ruiz. It's the heavyweight division and it only takes one punch for someone to get a fluke win so there wasn't much damage done to his status in the division, especially when he avenged the loss via unanimous decision in December of the year. At the time, many boxing pundits looked toward an eventual Deontay Wilder/Anthony Joshua showcase, but in the five years since that time, Wilder garnered a record of just 2-4, prompting some to call for his potential retirement from the sport. Wilder's return to the ring, a TKO victory over the undistinguished Tyrrell Herndon, this past June received very little buzz within the sport. When Jousha beat Kubrat Pulev at the end of 2020, many assumed that the flash KO loss to Ruiz the prior year was, in fact, a fluke. However, a pair of losses again current undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk that unfolded over the following two years, not only fizzled talks of the Wilder confrontation at the time, but were also key loses that proved that he was a solid contender, but wasn't able to get victories against the top of the division. The Ukrianian champion went on to defeat Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury twice, and then Dubois again in a rematch. Joshua picked up three wins in a row, again suggesting that he was on his way back up the ranks in the division before he was knocked out in the fifth round by the previously mentioned Dubois last year.

So, the narrative of Anthony Joshua's career is that he's a competitive heavyweight, not a top-tier fighter. That makes him legitimately dangerous for a Jake Paul fight, but maybe not too dangerous. That said, he's the most dangerous fighter that Paul has fought by a considerable margin. The story of the fight is simple, if the British fighter is there to get a highlight reel win to use the publicity to rejuvenate his career for another run in the division then Paul could get knocked out, but if Joshua is just in the ring for the major payday, Paul will get an underwhelming decision on the score cards.

If Jake Paul gets knocked out then the audience gets what they paid to see, and as mentioned, there's not really a reason for them to have to pay to watch him fight again so interest in his fights would probably wain significantly going forward. Some might scoff at that considering the numbers that Paul fights have done prior to his, but it's important to keep in mind that it's the nature of sideshow fights. Given that the entire world, including sports with the recent betting accusations in different leagues, who knows what's actually going to happen during the Paul/Joshua contest, but given that the only bout that Jake Paul lost was against an actual boxer that's a rather mediocre fighter, the odds shouldn't be in his favor when he competes against a legitimate former heavyweight champion.

What's the status of Full Gear?

All Elite Wrestling's next pay-per-view, Full Gear is this weekend, but even with a final episode of Dynamite to push the selling points of the event, there's a noticeable lack of anticipation behind the show, which says a lot about the lack of structure within the company itself.

When you look at the card, it's an average, but solid All Elite PPV on paper. The talent on the roster is rarely in question, but how they are positioned becomes a much bigger point than anything else. Kris Statlander might be the best in-ring female worker in the promotion so there's little doubt that she can have a good match against Mercedes Mone, as artificial as it might be since the former Sasha Banks continues to collect props in an attempt to try to convince purists that she's somehow the female version of Ultimo Dragon. She seems to forget or ignore that Ultimo Dragon didn't fall woefully short of expectations, but instead was known for an uncompromising consistency throughout his legendary career. Wasn't Mone supposed to be a game changer when she arrived last year? Has she truly moved the needle? There's not a better example of when belts are reduced to props than the current "Ultimo Mone" stint that gives the impression that she's begging to be taken seriously as a top-notch worker, but her in-ring work usually doesn't reflect it.

Kyle Fletcher and Mark Briscoe had a great match previously, and there's no reason not to have a rematch, except for the fact that it's a no DQ match because why not? Along those same lines, Samoa Joe will get a rematch against Adam Page in a steel cage match. Similar to Fletcher/Briscoe, there's a reason for Joe to get another title shot, especially after the heel turn after the original contest rejuvenated his character, but the steel cage stipulation is again where the booking misses the mark.

The reason being is simple, the audience just saw the crescendo of gimmick matches last week during the Blood and Guts episode of Dynamite. Anything after that, especially the following weekend, is diminishing returns. Furthermore, the effectiveness of anything done at Full Gear in either gimmick match, is completely neutralized, as unless someone loses a limb, which might sadly be possible on an AEW broadcast, it will be tame in comparison to what was on television less than ten days previously.

It's basic pro wrestling psychology, and maybe that's why it's so frustrating to continuously watch legitimate risks be completely disregarded because nothing within the product truly spotlights moments since the booking is all over the place. It's the same problem the Attitude era had, except it's done to an exponentially more ridiculous degree in All Elite today. If you see a head-on collision at an intersection, the fender bender five minutes later at a stop sign is minimal by comparison.

The Blood and Guts matches were essentially AEW's answer to War Games at Survivor Series later this month, which was a misguided attempt to counter what WWE is going to offer, but that's a different discussion for a different time. It's also a different discussion for a different time if matches like this are wise to put on cable television. At the very list, the argument could be made that the gory spectacle could sour sponsors or the network on AEW programming, at this point, parsing those details would be moot. The AEW product has established what it is, regardless of if that's suitable or tailored to a national audience is irrelevant, this is what Tony Khan offers to the audience.

I could write a lengthy column on the many reasons why the vast majority of what was booked for Blood and Guts last week is counter productive to drawing money on a national level, or why it puts a ceiling on not only the audience that will watch it, but also the revenue that it could generate for the company. We already know that drawing money isn't the top priority for Tony Khan so it's another moot debate to discuss the details of why the concept itself.

However, the much bigger and more simplistic point is how putting Blood and Guts on television rather than pay-per-view completely devalued the Full Gear event.

The two-ring steel cage match on Dynamite was legitimately one of the bloodiest matches in the history of pro wrestling television. Skye Blue bled buckets, and Kyle O'Reilly spilled an unbelievable amount of blood. It was a total blood bath and stands out for the sheer amount of crimson, even though the company overuses blood on a regular basis. There were tables, glass, barbed wire, and fire used between the two Blood and Guts matches.

So, what exactly are Samoa Joe and Adam Page going to do in a cage match to follow it? It's literally an apples-to-apples situation, and the two could work a great match that will be forgettable compared to the cage match that more viewers watched on television. The same applies for Mark Briscoe, who was in the Blood and Guts match, and Kyle Fletcher. What exactly are they supposed to do in a no DQ match that isn't going to be considered undistinguished compared to the blood, fire, and tables, on Dynamite?

This is where Tony Khan booked the entire scenario backwards. As over-the-top and unnecessary as the Blood and Guts matches were, you could at least partially justify it if they were put on pay-per-view because it could theoretically generate more buys for the show. In fact, if the gimmick matches were put on PPV, technically, the history of Blood and Guts could've been used to leverage another selling point for Full Gear. If this is the stuff they've done for this match in the past on television, how far are they going to push the envelope on pay-per-view? More specifically, and this might be the biggest point to be made from a business prospective, if the blood bath is booked on pay-per-view, the company wouldn't be at risk of causing any issues with the network, and to a lesser extent, advertisers.

The biggest takeaway from all of this is that Tony Khan actually made it more difficult for the company to sell its pay-per-view this weekend based on what he booked for television last week. It puts the talent on the Full Gear card, some of those performers that were in the steel cage matches on Dynamite last week, in a no-win situation. In the grand scheme of things, Blood and Guts will overshadow Full Gear, particularly because there probably won't be any noteworthy title switches on the card. This situation demonstrates why drawing money isn't the priority for All Elite Wrestling since the pay-per-view buy rate has the potential to be a much bigger revenue stream than the weekly television taping, but with the way the product was booked within the past two weeks, there's actually less of an incentive for the fans to pay to order Full Gear this weekend. Sure, the broadcast will probably be four and a half hours, and there will be matches will the same dazzling high spots or gimmicks used throughout the night, but will any of it matter for the landscape of the company? The only things that are really at stake at Full Gear are the TBS title and the world heavyweight title. It's obvious that Mercedes Mone is going to collect another title, and chances are slim that Adam Page will drop the championship after he already beat Joe previously so what exactly is the reason that fans should spend $50 to watch the PPV, especially after it will be tame compared to the matches on Dynamite last week?

The career of Austin Cairns

"That experience was a literal dream come true!"

The journey to the big time can be full of uncertainty and hardships. The world of sports entertainment is no different than any other live performance industry, you can put in the miles and countless hours of work in an effort just to get a chance to prove yourself. You've heard the numerous stories of those that, for whatever reason, had to take a long, hard road to reach their destiny. In the early-80s, Mick Foley slept in his car as snow encased the vehicle after hundreds of miles on the road each weekend from Cortland, New York for the chance to pursue his dream of training to be a professional wrestler at Dominic DeNucci's school in Freedom, Pennsylvania, a borough located in Beaver country on the western side of the state. Foley famously recounted the tale of emerging from his snow-covered car like a hibernating bear early Saturday mornings in his first autobiography, New York Times #1 best-seller, "Have A Nice Day." But, Mick had no idea that when he ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in his backseat that it would one day payoff with a legacy that spanned decades.

The hustle and the struggle to get that majority opportunity can be seen throughout different generations, as it's often simply the nature of the beast.

Before The Young Bucks became wildly popular on social media and then a part of the core group for the launch of what became the second national promotion in the United States, they once had their debit card declined when they tried to buy a chicken sandwich for less than $3 at the airport. When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered the entire world and thus canceled independent shows, Eddie Kingston had to sell his boots to pay his mortgage before a fiery challenge to then-EVP, Cody Rhodes eventually landed the native of Yonkers a contract.

You never know when that opportunity will land in front of you, but regardless of when, the key is to be prepared to make the most of it. For the examples cited so far, it took years, but for a young man based in Pittsburgh, with only a few months of experience under his belt, he was presented with the chance of a lifetime.

Sometimes, it's about being at the right place at the right time.

This past September, Austin Cairns, a Sports Communication major at Point Park University in the city, found himself in the gorilla position, the spot right behind the curtain that was named for the legendary Gorilla Monsoon, who would often be there to run WWF television tapings in Allentown during that era. Just a few feet away sat Tony Khan, one of the most powerful pro wrestling promoters in the world. Austin, clad in his trademark suit and tie, felt that this scenario was surreal, it was a dream come true. Within moments, he heard the booming voice of ring announcer, Justin Roberts introduce him to the thousands of fans in attendance at The Peterson Events Center, the same venue that hosts Pitt Panther basketball games, for a taping of All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite broadcast.

In the modern era when content is king, and we've seen how uncovered footage is usually popular online, even the untelevised matches at the taping are recorded for potential later use. Austin made his way down the aisle, the same aisle that many of the biggest stars in the business would walk down later that night, to put on his headset to provide commentary for the dark match of the evening, Hook scheduled to compete against a local grappler.

At just 21, Austin Cairns was able to showcase part of his "resume" for one of the national professional wrestling groups in the United States. His professionalism and preparedness impressed the right people, which allowed him to provide All Elite Wrestling with an impromptu "audition" of his work.

"AEW was a crazy experience. Through some connections I have at Point Park, I was able to get backstage at AEW Dynamite in Pittsburgh and essentially have an inside look on how things were run. I got to view the production truck, catering, the locker room, and even Tony's office/ Once the EVPs found out I do commentary and have a dream of going mainstream, they offered me a chance to call a dark match before the show. Not knowing what I was getting myself into, I agree. After that experience, I got to watch the event, then meet Tony Khan and Bryan Danielson," Austin explained.

As uncommon as his big moment was at such a young age, his discovery of the sport was very typical, he found clips on Youtube when he was a child and began to follow the genre. His introduction to the business at the end of last year was even more ordinary. He wanted to take the steps to parlay his fandom of the industry into a career move, especially when he was already pursuing higher education within sports media. Austin contacted the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the most well-known and longest-running leagues in the Pittsburgh area. Founded by radio personality, Bubba The Bulldog in 2001 and then promoted successfully for several years by the godfather of the Pittsburgh independent scene, Norm Connors, the group has been under the direction of Justin Plummer for more than a decade, continuing to bring major names to the region for its established fan base.

Austin's start in the business was far less glamorous than the bright lights at the Peterson Events Center prior to when Dynamite went on the air. He helped with production, ran cables, assisted with the set up or tear down for each live event, and worked as a cameraman just to be there when an opportunity arose, and when it did, the door was opened for him to join the IWC commentary team.

"During that time, I would ride in the car and pick the brain of Joe Dombrowski, who I consider to be a mentor," Cairns commented.

"Austin is an incredibly bright and passionate young man, whose instincts and professionalism should help him go far. It will be a long and arduous journey, and time will tell where that journey takes him, as it does for us all, but I feel his chances are above average to find some real traction in multiple sports," added Dombrowski, who has spent more than two decades behind the mic and is the current lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Wrestling.

His drive to get an opportunity wasn't limited to one specific organization, within recent months, he also joined the broadcast team of 880 Wrestling, an upstart league originally based out of New Kensington before it relocated to the south side of the city. With the name a nod to the postal code of where it was launched, 880 is a DYI organization that thrived based on its open door policy for anyone that wants to test themselves in the pursuit of the sport. Known for its inclusive and accepting brand, talent from every background has found a home on their Thursday Night Fight cards, weekly matches that are live streamed on the indywrestling.us platforms. Similar to his introduction to IWC, Cairns repeated the process at 880, helping out with anything that was needed until he had a chance at the desk, which he cites as one of the most valuable learning experiences of his young career.

"The constant reps at 880, their weekly Thursday Night Fights,which has been a great way for me to practice and learn on the fly. I also call other sports so I have been learning how to balance out the differences," Austin remarked.

"Austin looks at any event as any opportunity to advance himself in sports  broadcasting. He keeps himself vigilant and prepared. He stays hungry and keeps me on my toes. Literally, we both stand up and do commentary together for multiple hours a week," Toddy Tondera, the longtime voice of the 880 project. 

When he doesn't have a headset for pro wrestling broadcasts on a weekly basis, Austin still has a microphone in his hand. It's not uncommon for him to be on the call for college basketball games around the region or on the air on WPPJ Radio 670 AM, the Point Park station, every Monday from at 4-5 PM that afternoon for The Austin Cairns Show. When he's not on the air live, he presses the record button for not one, but two podcasts for multiple tapings each week, which have become staples of the local media circuit.

"I host a weekly podcast called 2 Jagoffs!, its a podcast that has two episodes a week and streams on almost every platform! We do a weekly episode every Thursday and an interview with a wrestler, broadcaster, and others every Sunday. We also just recently did a live charity podcast at Point Park University where we raised over $300,000 dollars for students/ I also co-host a podcast called Steel City Commuters with my friend, Nicholas Brown," Austin explained.

As taught in his classes at Point Park, these ventures have provided Austin with professional growth and development to open more doors down the road for his career, but they have also given him personal friendships that are a reflection of wholesome comradery, an ironic contrast to the in-ring mayhem that sports entertainment is based on.

"KC Warr approached, me asking if I would like the opportunity to travel to Cleveland and call an entire 880 show at the Great Lakes Brewery. KC is someone else that I consider to be a mentor and friend in this business so I will be forever grateful for it. My favorite from IWC was this past month at Winner Takes All where I got to call a bit where WWE Hall of Famer, Ted DiBiase came out and put Marcus DeAngelo to sleep," Cairns said.

The world of broadcasting, especially in the continuously evolving media landscape is arguably more unpredictable than the pro wrestling business, but when Austin had the chance, he was professional and prepared to make the most of his opportunities.

"Part of it was being in the right place at the right time," he said of his whirlwind adventure in the pro wrestling business so far.

One thing is for sure, dreams can come true, just ask Austin Cairns.    

Zack Ryder returns

Zack Ryder is back in the WWE, but should he be?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a major fan of the real-life Matt Cardona, and his career path of the independents for nearly the past five years should be a case study in pro wrestling marketing. Given Cardona's association with Total Nonstop Action, the smaller league that has a working agreement with WWE, and the fact that he already appeared on NXT programming recently as a part of the NXT/TNA feud, there was already speculation that he might be on his way back to the company at some point. Furthermore, considering that John Cena was one of his earliest supporters when he got himself over with audience in a surge of organic fan support through social media and his original Youtube video series, there was chatter that he might have a spot in the John Cena tournament to determine his last opponent.

So, I was surprised when I got a text from one of my wrestling pals, the great Pat Maclaughlin that the former Intercontinental champion was the mystery opponent on Smackdown, but wasn't totally shocked. However, I was also surprised and somewhat disappointed that he was branded as Zack Ryder upon his return to the organization. Sure, he's not doing the hokey spiked hair type of persona that he did almost 15 years ago, and maybe I'm wrong on this, but in my view, he's completely surpassed the Ryder character.

Taking into account that he initially got beaten into powder when he got himself over before the office scripted it and that the last time he was seen on the main roster, he was in a totally secondary position, the return of Ryder seems like a step backwards, almost a decision that takes away some of the shine of the reputation that he built since he was released from the promotion in 2021.

Some might cite the fact that Cody Rhodes returned with his previous name, but there are a few key differences. The booking that put Cody in a position where he had to leave the WWE to be able to reinvent himself was Stardust, and when he built a spontaneous buzz around himself, it was under the name Cody so in many ways, when he resurfaced as Rhodes at Wrestlemania 38, he was allowed to bring that reinvented persona back with him, including the music.

Obviously, the reasoning for the Ryder name is simple, the WWE has it trademarked already, and with Matt Cardona as his real name, it's very possible that the publicly-traded corporation doesn't want to promote someone's real name when they can avoid it because they know the performer can use it elsewhere. Management has changed, but TKO is still very business savvy for a reason.

Do I think Matt Cardona has a lot to offer the WWE? Absolutely, especially in the modern era when there are so many different platforms that broadcast the product. He's a valuable asset to have on your team from an online and marketing perspective. He's a guy that was smart enough to transcend the squared circle and diversify himself with a slew of merchandise, as well as a successful action figure podcast. In fact, more than a few concepts that the Major Figure Podcast produced influenced the direction Mattel took with its toy lines. When retro figures and bendies were selling independently, Mattel added them to its line-up. The return of the LJN line currently is based on the success of Cardona's Big Rubber Guys that were produced through the podcast. In short, Mattel saw that the independent groups proved that there was a market for those products and thus they were going to get their piece of the pie, albeit with the benefit of mainstream distribution. 

But, as much as Cardona brings to the table from that point of view as far as being somewhat of a spokesman for the Mattel toy lines, which he does to some degree already with Brian Myers and Mark Sterling, the use of the Ryder name neutralizes a lot of that. The reason being is that without the independent run as Matt Cardona, it's doubtful that there would be a demand for a Ryder return in 2025. His prior run proved that he can connect with the audience, but he's evolved passed the "Woo Woo Woo" phase of his career. Trademarks aside, Zack Ryder back in the WWE almost disregards the stellar independent run that Matt Cardona had over the past few years.

In 2021, he grabbed attention as the "WWE guy" that was going to do a death match with Nick Gage in Game Changer Wrestling, and it was so shocking that he actually won that it rejuvenated his career because nobody thought it was going to happen. It prompted fans to wonder what he was going to do next. With Cardona showing up virtually everywhere at some point or another, he built a level of cache as a guy that moved the needle on the independents, which is very difficult to do in the modern era, and fans can appreciate the work ethic. He also showed that he was a versatile performer, not as much in terms of his in-ring work, but the ability to get over as a performer in different scenarios. Working for GCW is much different than working for Ring Of Honor or TNA so being able to juggle that schedule more or less at the same time showed that he was adaptable.

There's already a Zack Ryder t-shirt on WWE Shop, implying that this wasn't just a one-off, but could also be an indication that if Cardona is back in the company full-time that it will probably be under the Ryder moniker. The same music, same t-shirt, and same name put him at risk for being typecast at the same level he was before he was released, which would be selling him short from the start. On one hand, he has much more to offer as Matt Cardona in the WWE, but on the other hand, the entire point of the wrestling business is to make as much money as possible so if TKO offered enough cash for him to be recast as Zack Ryder then it might still be mission accomplished. Still, it seems like it goes without saying that there's money to be made with a Matt Cardona run in the WWE.

It will be extremely interesting to see what happens from here, both in terms of if Cardona lands a full-time contract, and if he does, how he's booked going forward. It should also be noted that he's currently scheduled for a Game Changer Wrestling event next weekend. GCW has been a part of the WWE ID program so there's some type of working agreement in place, which could create some unique possibilities in GCW if Cardona wrestled for both brands. More than anything, at a time when even the WWE audience recognizes untapped potential, similar to the increase in popularity for Karrion Kross during the last few months of his contract, Matt Cardona could be a performer that the WWE fans rally behind since they know at least some of his journey to get back to a prominent spot in the company.

From a broader viewpoint, with reports of Joe Hendry moving to the WWE roster, and potentially Cardona back into the fold, you have to wonder how some talent shifts will affect the pro wrestling landscape, including the independents. As we've seen with the John Cena retirement tour, and the announcement that AJ Styles will hang up the boots sometime next year, it's fair to say that there's a generation of stars within the WWE that could all finish up within a few years of each other, which would necessitate more talent shifts in the future. That's not to say that the company is lower on star power, but rather that the office will look to push fresh talent. At least for right now, the wrestling world will be watching to see what Cardona's next move is particularly within GCW since there's an opportunity to do something unique, but it remains to be seen if he will get a legitimate chance at a fresh run in WWE or if it will ultimately be a retread of his previous run in the company.

The Nixon Newell situation

Professional wrestling is a work. 

Bill Watts, the hard-nosed promoter of Mid-South Wrestling for several years is probably spinning in his grave with how exposed the business is today, and he's not even dead yet. As a traditionalist, it makes me cringe when the industry is so blatantly exposed, mostly because it's been proves, and fairly recently, that you can still work the audience. The public only knows what you allow them, and even if they know something, that doesn't mean they have to know everything. The missing piece of the puzzle creates intrigue and that can still draw money because regardless of the documentaries or the star ratings, the building blocks of the industry remain the same. Sure, the business has evolved, and some of the presentation has to be tailored to that to get a level of believability, but the foundation of the genre hasn't changed since its based on human psychology.

The question of if Seth Rollins was or wasn't actually injured at Saturday Night's Main Event allowed for the memorable cash-in at Summer Slam. Again, the fans know what you allow them to know.

Still, we have to face the facts that the audience, more than ever before, knows that the office makes the decisions. If Roman Reigns was the baby face champion with the super push in 1995, it might not have gotten over depending on how it was done, but there wouldn't have been nearly the amount of rejection that he endured from the audience twenty years later. Unfortunately, Roman took the heat for the crowd's discontent with the office, not with his skill set, which was proven when he eventually became the top guy when he was organically allowed to evolve as a performer in a heel role. He was given the chance to become the top guy as Roman Reigns, not be forced into the spot of the next John Cena.

The point is, if something scripted for the show is subpar, the audience knows that it was the office, not the performer that made that decision. Dolph Ziggler didn't get squashed by Bill Goldberg at Summer Slam years ago because the former WCW champion was a "better wrestler," it was simply the decision that management made for that night. Granted, star power is often measured by successful booking, and that doesn't always include winning, but again, we've reached a point in the evolution of the genre that if someone loses a match, the audience doesn't write them off as a wrestler that doesn't have a future in the business.

That's why the recent story of Nixon Newell, the former Tegan Nox in WWE, and Miranda Alize walking out of an AEW Collision taping because they didn't agree with the booking of their segment is very puzzling.

The story was originally reported by Fightful Select that the real-life couple left the show because they didn't want to lose their schedule match against Tay Conti and Anna Jay. Newell refuted that, posting online that the team didn't want to compete in a match that was only going to be a three-minute segment. The pair lost a very short match on Collision two weeks ago. Since the initial report, Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp has updated the story a few times, with Newell continuing to refute those reports. I take most of what Sean Ross Sapp said with a grain of salt, which has less to do with him and more to do with the nature of pro wrestling reporting. However, PWinsider's Mike Johnson, who I consider the most accurate reporter in the industry, confirmed that while the pair didn't refuse to lose the match, they left because they didn't get the requested amount of time for the segment.

In short, they didn't want to work a basic squash match, and they have the right to refuse to do so, especially because they aren't under contract. That being said, it's also one of the silliest and most narrow-minded decisions that a wrestler can make, especially in the modern era. Keep in mind, we've established that the audience knows that the result is scripted so does a short loss on Collision, the show with the lower amount of viewers on the AEW television line-up, really make a difference in the career of Newell or Alize?

More importantly, who are Newell or Alize to think they should be important enough for an entire show to be rewritten based on what they want to do? Don't get me wrong, Tegan Nox was a decent in-ring performer, but she torn her ACL twice and was more known for being injured during her WWE tenure than anything else. She was also released from the organization twice. This might sound too harsh, but Tegan Nox isn't truly a known name in the industry that has to be protected booking-wise, let alone Nixon Newell, who only independent fans from several years ago would know of.

The Wrestling Observer's Bryan Alvarez mentioned that Newell said on a live stream on Twitch that she only planned to wrestle other year or two so maybe that's why she thought she was too much of a superstar to work a short match on AEW programming? It's ironic that she took such a hard stance with the second biggest pro wrestling company in the United States because she actually posted on Twitter after her WWE release last year that she was finding it very difficult to get booked on the independent circuit. Maybe there simply isn't a demand for Tegan Nox on the indy scene? Maybe her asking price was too expensive? Either way, after someone is cut from the WWE for a second time and then can't get steady work on the independents, it seems rather obvious that they should try to make the most of an appearance with AEW, but that doesn't appear to be the case.

Newell might plan to be done with wrestling within a year or so, but she might not have a choice either since her remaining options in the business look to be very limited. With the two being a couple, you have to wonder if Miranda Alize has the same mindset to be done with wrestling relatively soon because she will undoubtedly be associated with the negativity of this story even if she wanted to wrestle after Newell retires.

It goes without saying, or at least it should for any talent that want to make a full-time living as a professional wrestler, there's much more to the career than just when the bell rings and who goes over in the match. Similar to any other job in a capitalist society, is the person reliable? Can the wrestler show up as advertise ready to give their best for the paying audience? Again, similar to any other job, is the person easy to work with? If someone is too difficult to deal with, eventually it's not worth the hassle regardless of how talented they are. Low Ki would be a modern example of this. It might be considered the next level, but if a wrestler can make the media appearances and be a good representative of the company is also extremely important when a promotion decides to put stock in a talent on the roster. John Cena, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns are examples of performers that conducted themselves as top guys.

This story will probably fade from the headlines rather quickly, as it's probably the most publicity that either Newell and Alize had in their careers, but it should be considered a lesson in what not to do for talent that want to land a major contract. As mentioned, sports entertainment is a work and if they didn't want to work a three-minute match, they have the right to leave, but they proved how difficult they would be if they were booked in a bigger spot that actually had an impact on the direction of their characters. Should any promoter trust Newell to be booked in a pay-per-view spot? What if eight minutes on PPV isn't enough for her?

The answer is exactly what the promotion did, booked another tag team, Hyan and Maya World in the same spot. They did what was asked of them and probably have a better chance of getting a full-time deal because they were easy to work with and did what the job required for that show. Hopefully, Nixon Newell will be easier to work with in her next career.