AEW Dynamite review

I've written about it several times, but it remains a point of discussion around All Elite Wrestling and more specifically, will continue to shape the future of the promotion. Essentially, there are two sides of the coin to AEW and this past week's episode of Dynamite proved that the quality control of the promotion is hit or miss in many aspects of the show. Granted, I've also written that the Khan-owned company doesn't have to be perfect either. Nitro certainly wasn't perfect, but was the top wrestling show in the world in 1997. That being said, it's just as important to continue to evolve the product and learn from mishaps along the way to avoid a plateau in the audience. TNA got to about a million viewers and never quite went any further, even at its peak. Obviously, All Elite draws much better on the road and on pay-per-view than TNA did in its entire existence, but the point being that with the additions of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and others, there must be a tangible result for those acquisitions to be truly successful. I'm not sure Jeff Hardy on the Youtube show maximizes his star power or the brand exposure he could generate for the product.

As I wrote in an article last week, All Elite has the right approach to be the national pro wrestling commodity as a contrast to WWE's sports entertainment presentation. Nobody is going to reach the level of production of Vince McMahon or the cache the WWE has as an entity in the sports world. It's one of the benefits of winning the wrestling wars and getting the historical context of the organization. As we know, the vast majority of WWE programming is geared toward serving the stockholders more so than the audience. The shareholders that invest into WWE stock are what allowed the company to be worth more than a billion dollars so that takes priority and from strictly a corporate mindset it makes sense. So, the fans are usually soured on the rather notorious Saudi shows, but it's great news for the shareholders because the Saudi events are among WWE's most profitable shows. The balancing act to serve the investors and the viewing audience is another discussion for another time, but the bottom line is, there's undoubtedly a market for more of a wrestling-based product in the United States.

One of the major positives of the All Elite program is that the company fully utilizes some of the talent that was either undervalued or completely overlooked in the WWE. The FTR Owen Hart tournament qualifying match was a brilliant display of how solid pro wrestling can create compelling television. FTR is, without question, the best tag team in the entire business right now, and if they are given the opportunity during the rest of their career, they could enter the conversation as one of the best tag teams of all time. Dax and Cash are true pros, and their ability as performers gave this match a "big fight" atmosphere. Dax got the win, but the biggest takeaway here is just how much the WWE missed the boat on them when they were under contract there. Considering the writing team wanted to put FTR in court jester outfits before their WWE exit, it's proof of how important competition is in the business because I think it's fair to say that FTR would've wasted the prime of their careers if they re-signed with WWE.

Along the same lines of the Dax/Cash segment, the Blackpool Combat Club victory was designed to put more spotlight on Wheeler Yuta, which makes sense because by nature, AEW has to build toward the future. I'm not sure how far Yuta will go in his AEW tenure, but the logic to establish a younger wrestler through an association with major stars is there. The argument could be made that prehaps there's better use of both Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley, but most of that depends on how the current angles unfold on television. Another wise decision is the use of William Regal, one of the most underrated legends and brightest minds in the history of the industry. So often for several years, the WWE writing team only used legends from the past to get heat and it just made those stars look less than legends on-screen. On the flip side, Regal's goodwill with the audience and his status as an elder statesman are used to enhance the entire stable.

On the other end of the spectrum, the use of gimmick matches over the course of just a few weeks is so ridiculous that it's almost comical at this point. Within the span of about a month, there was a tables match, a Texas deathmatch, a coffin match, and then just on this past week's episode, there was a street fight and a ladder match on the same card. It goes without saying that this will yield diminishing returns. Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb had some solid matches, but their rivalry was rather sporadic as far as how it was featured on television. It's not a jab at either of them as performers, but from a booking stand point, did this really justify a street fight? Was this feud really on the radar as far as the television show?  Furthermore, the same can be said for the Scorpio Sky vs. Sammy Guevara bout, why exactly was this a ladder match? Outside of the fact that Tony Khan wanted to see Sammy in another ladder match, what was the true purpose of this stipulation? The Cody/Sammy ladder match is still relatively fresh in the audience's mind, why dilute that contest with another ladder match not too long after the bout that originally received good reviews? The same can be said for the use of barbed wire during the Sammy/Sky match, it wasn't necessary and just takes away from the gimmicks. More importantly, Sammy took a scary bump from a dive off the ladder and risks like that on a regular basis are ill-advised. I sincerely hope I'm wrong, but it seems like only a matter of time before something goes seriously wrong with spots like that. Sammy legitimately has the talent to be one of the key performers for the future of AEW, he shouldn't risk the bigger picture for a spot to get noticed on social media that will be forgotten a few days later anyway.

Finally, CM Punk could a promo to officially announce that he will challenge for the AEW world championship at Double or Nothing, which makes sense because he's the biggest star on the roster and he should be in the main event to fully utilize that status. Still, this whole thing summarizes how poorly Adam Page was booked prior to and after his title victory. Page hasn't defended the title or done much at all on television as champion. The delay to put Danielson vs. Page at Author Ashe stadium hindered a lot of his momentum and he just hasn't seemed like he's at the level of a world champion in terms of star power. Last week on the show, he made a very brief appearance to have a face off against Punk, but his effectiveness on TV during his title run was minimal. I understand the argument that the champion doesn't have to be on TV every week, but I don't think that approach applies to a new star that has to be established as champion. Punk should and probably will win the AEW championship, but it says a lot about the booking that Page wasn't truly established at the main event level for the company.

AEW releases

As we've seen in the past three years since the launch of All Elite Wrestling, more new talent hit national television within that time frame than in the decade or so previously. One of the true cornerstones of building a promotion is assembling the roster and just as important, establishing a brand identity. Those two concepts aren't automatically linked, either. TNA put together an incredible roster, especially after a few years on Spike TV, but never established a brand for itself, which was one of the many reasons it eventually failed. Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Abyss, Sting, Ric Flair, Mick Foley, Kurt Angle, Bully Ray, Rob Van Dam, Alex Shelley, Jay Lethal, and many others decorated a roster that had considerable depth, but the sum total of much of TNA's existence was WWE-lite.

AEW has, both positivity and negatively, established a brand identity for itself as the pro wrestling company in the United States, which provides a contrast to the sports entertainment approach by the WWE, and there's nothing wrong with that. In truth, that's probably the best path to take because nobody is going to have the production value or the historic context of the WWE brand so taking things outside of the corporate box so to speak is a way to present something unique at the national level. That said, the balancing act is still attempting to draw the causal fan and main stream demographic as much as possible, which is key for success on a national level. The prime example being the upcoming New Japan/AEW pay-per-view in June, and more specifically, how All Elite markets the talent to an American audience. Yes, this is a dream match show for the diehard fans that are already familiar with the Japanese league, but there's a large portion of the TBS audience that might not know much about New Japan so the way that the concept is presented on television is very important for a successful pay-per-view buy rate.

Speaking of presenting talent on television, after the recent departures of some of the original wrestlers signed to All Elite contracts, a few more have confirmed their exit from the promotion. Unfortunately, because of the jaded nature of wrestling fans and social media in general, it's important to mention that the discussion about a talent's lack of ability to get over on a national platform isn't a personal jab at them. Sometimes, it's a matter of timing or circumstances that prevents a competitor from solidifying themselves in a promotion. Other times, it might be a lack of skill, but that isn't always a correct assumption.

Joey Janela, who achieved cult status on the independent scene years ago after he was literally thrown off the roof of a two-story building by John Zandig, parlayed his work in Game Changer Wrestling over the years into an All Elite contract. For whatever reason, Janela's persona just didn't get over on a national scale, but he didn't necessarily get much television exposure either, which is a combination of the bloated roster and the booking plans for the company. Under different circumstances, it's possible that Janela's act might've captured the same wave of momentum he had on the indy circuit, similar to the way Orange Cassidy took his character from small shows to national TV. However, it just didn't happen for Janela and he was eventually typecast into more of a hardcore role based on his GCW association, even though he's not necessarily a death match wrestler. Essentially, his indy style didn't work on TNT and he was regulated to the Youtube shows. There were rumors online that Janela had heat backstage, but most of that speculation has to be taken with a grain of salt. Either way, Game Changer Wrestling is still the most notable independent group in America so Janela will still have a decent platform after his AEW contract expires.

Another grappler known for his time in GCW was Marko Stunt, the smaller wrestler that also had a cult following from the indy scene. The fiery underdog made an impression on fans because the effort was always there. That said, Marko probably wasn't ready for national TV, and the visual of his smaller size didn't necessarily do him any favors either. Granted, the criticism of this was probably too harsh at the time, and Chris Jericho, who wanted to defend Stunt online, made some comparisons to Rey Mysterio Jr. early in his career, but that didn't really help matters either. There's only one Rey and he got over because of his incredible skill, a cool look, and unique charisma. I'm not sure Marko had the skill set to overcome the visual of trading moves with The Lucha Brothers on television, which isn't a knock against him because it would be a tough situation for any smaller wrestler. Similar to Janela, I think Marko can get consistent work on the indy scene after his contract expires, which will be better for his career anyway because he hasn't been featured on AEW TV in several months.

Jack Evans, who suffered some injuries during his All Elite tenure, announced that he would not get his contract renewed, and went as far as to say that his performances weren't were he wanted them to be during most of his time under the Khan-owned banner. Evans was ahead of his time in many ways with some of the insane aerial maneuvers, but wasn't exactly the most polished, and that was fine when he was one of the very few that worked that style 15 years ago. Quite frankly, at 40, Jack Evans isn't going to be the same high flyers he was during the early ROH years and a number of younger stars with more precision to their performances have surpassed him as an athlete. A combination of that and the injuries made it difficult for him to find his place on the All Elite roster. If AEW existed when Jack Evans was ten years younger this might be a different conversation, but he's a secondary wrestler in 2022. That said, Evans worked extensively for AAA earlier in his career so I wouldn't be surprised if he returned to working full-time in Mexico.

On the other end of the spectrum, Kushida made his exit from WWE and all things considered, he did the best he could there. Unfortunately, this is the same story we've seen with a lot of the cruiser weight talent, they aren't a priority for management and thus get lost in the shuffle. Hopefully, Kushida made the best money of his career for the three-year run he had under WWE contract because he simply wasn't given the opportunity to do anything else. Kushida has the talent to be an asset for any major promotion, which is why it's not surprise that he's already set to return to New Japan. His lack of success in America has nothing to do with his ability, but rather another example that the office will always view the WWE as a big man promotion. The vast majority of his run, Kushida was booked for 205 Live, which offers less exposure than the witness protection program. At 38, he has at least a few more years left in his career and it's good that he will be able to showcase his skills in New Japan again.

AEW Live

Eight months after All Elite Wrestling was live in Pittsburgh for Dynamite and subsequently the debut edition of Rampage, the company returned to the steel city for a live edition of the Wednesday broadcast and then taped matches for Rampage this Friday. As was the case for the first two AEW events in Pittsburgh, I went to the event with the great Pat MacLaughlin, a good dude that I'm happy to call a friend and even more thankful to consider a mentor. As a father of four, ( he seriously might be plotting his own family wrestling stable) Pat welcomed the chance to take a short break from his family duties while Mrs. Mac, the Vince McMahon of their family, kept watch on the rookies. I appreciate the fact that Pat wanted to attend the show with me so I was more than happy to tag along with him.

Those of you that might've read the previous column (an article that was kindly retweeted by Chris Jericho) I posted about last August's Dynamite event, might remember that parking at the Peterson Event Center, the venue that hosts Pitt Panther basketball, is more or less as scrambled as Vince Russo's WCW booking in 2000. Despite our efforts to find accessible parking, we were the Mulkey brothers instead of the Hardy Boys and had to park a few blocks away from the building in a scenario where the entire trek to the show was seemingly uphill. Some might remember that I have a physical disability so dives, spring boards, and long distances aren't my strong suite. As I described it at the time, making the walk to the venue was like watching six hours of Great Khali matches, you will survive, but it won't be fun.

Thankfully, this time Maclaughlin opted to drop me off at the front of the building and ventured out into the Royal Rumble of cars to find a parking spot on his own. I found a stone slab that worked as an impromptu bench and saw a few fans of the local scene that said hello. I also ran into the best referee in Pittsburgh, Bobby Williams, known amongst his friends as "Potter" for his striking resemblance to the JK Rowlings character. A true pro, Bobby greeted me with the intention of a clothesline before he turned baby face and gave me a hug instead. Alongside Potter was his real-life best friend and someone I consider one of my best friends as well, the villainous BC Steele, unanimously considered the best manager in Pittsburgh. Despite my disability, somehow BC is more uncoordinated than me and nearly landed on the cement when he feigned an attempted drop kick while he held onto the railing near the steps.

After those pre-show shenanigans, Maclaughlin arrived at the front of the building looking his age, but confirmed he found a place to park. As we went into the building the entry process went smooth and even with the packed hallways, navigating through the crowd wasn't too difficult. Our seats were on the risers near the floor next to the stage so aside from parking, the next task was to find those seats while avoiding as many steps as possible. For those unfamiliar with the venue, my chances of making it down several flights of steps were about the same odds as QT Marshal beating Minoru Suzuki later in the night. A very nice staff lady directed us toward some elevators, but it was actually on the other side of the building from where we needed to go so after we found another staffer, we were directed to the correct handicapped elevators. We hopped into the elevator and when the door opened in what I guess is technically, a behind-the-scenes area since most fans don't need to use it, the legendary announcer, Jim Ross walked across the hallway. I was very surprised, but didn't want to say anything to bother him, especially because he was probably preparing for the broadcast. Ironically, JR is one of the reasons that I became a commentator for the local scene in Pittsburgh and his iconic calls had a major impact on me.

After the legend sighting, we found our seats and I spotted longtime promoter, Norm Connors, who I hadn't had a chance to see in-person in nearly four years. Norm gave me a hug and it was great to see him because he was very kind to my family for several years. From what I saw before we sat down, Brandon Cuttler had a match for Dark, but I'm not sure of any of the bouts that might've been taped earlier. Aside from the surprise of JR in the hallway, I was also very surprised to see the previously mentioned Suzuki at the show for a bout on Dark Elevation. I'm not going to give anything away from the matches that haven't aired yet, but you can draw you own conclusions about QT Marshal's odds of beating the Japanese legend.

The live portion of the show opened with the anticipated Dustin Runnels vs. CM Punk bout. This contest had a few flat moments, but it built very well into a really good match. A few minutes could've probably been trimmed off of this without affecting the quality. There wasn't anything too flashy, but that's the true art of pro wrestling. These two athletes had the crowd following the back and fourth action toward the conclusion without any Canadian destroyers or dives outside the ring. More than anything, this segment proved just how over CM Punk is with the audience because he got the biggest reaction of anyone on the card. Punk won and it appears that he will eventually get a shot at the AEW championship. Adam Page is a very good competitor, but I think how he was presented as champion hasn't necessarily done him any favors as far as solidifying him as champion, particularly because despite being the titleholder, he isn't usually a focal point on television. All things considered, specifically because of the stage of development of All Elite as a company, I think Punk should win the title to increase the exposure of the brand.

The six man tag match with the Blackpool Combat Crew against Darius Martin, Lee Moriarty, and Brock Anderson was clearly a segment to showcase the BCC, which is fine because it's important to establish a stable as notable. There was a lot of great action from nearly everyone involved, and as I've said before, there's major potential for Darius if he continues to evolve as a performer. As I've said several times before, Lee is money and I sincerely believe it's just a matter of time before he's a legitimate money-drawing star for AEW. I don't want to take too many jabs at Brock Anderson, because I'm sure he's trying his best, but his lack of experience really showed here. He's just not on the level of any of the others in this match, and it might almost be a no-win situation for him when he's booked in this type of situation. I can't really say I see a lot of potential in the second generation Anderson, but I don't think he looks like the next David Flair either. Just my two cents, but I would suggest that Brock disappears from TV and spends the next year or so working the indy circuit to truly get a chance to hone his craft. It's much easier to learn from mistakes on a small scale than to be exposed as inexperienced on national television. Obviously, the Combat Crew got the victory in a fun match.

There was a lot of speculation about the "huge announcement" from Tony Khan, and the rumors of the New Japan/All Elite pay-per-view proved to be true, with the event scheduled for June. On the surface, it's nothing ground-breaking because there were already several crossover matches, but it will be a historic event based on its presentation. It was really cool to get the chance to see Jay White live, and the announcement of Adam Cole vs. Tomohiro Ishii for Rampage was neat because it was a chance to see the Japanese veteran wrestle in-person for the taped show.

The Wardlow vs. Butcher match was fine, nothing too spectacular, but it didn't need to be. It showcased Wardlow so it was  mission accomplished. If Wardlow can be built and portrayed in the right way, he will be a major commodity for All Elite. I still think a lot can be done with The Butcher too because he's a throwback in a sense since he looks like the only thing he could be is a pro wrestler.

Kyle O'Reilly defeated Jungle Boy in a very solid match to qualify for the Owen Hart tournament. That being said, I think some of these qualifying matches are getting lost in the shuffle because there are two sides to the men's and women's brackets. Truthfully, I thought Jungle Boy was going to win this match because he would've been my pick to win the entire tournament. However, it's possible Tony Khan plans to get some longevity from the tag title run before Jungle Boy gets moved up the card. Still, the biggest takeaway from this contest is, how did the WWE not have anything better for O'Reilly to do when he was there? Even as strictly a utility wrestler, and he obviously has the talent to be more than that, a performer with the level of skill of O'Reilly is always a valuable asset to a company.

Hook's rise to fame in All Elite might've started out as irony because of the unique hair and demeanor, but the youngster has some legitimate potential and it will be interesting to see how he develops as a performer. Danielle Kamela was apparently under a WWE developmental deal for just over five years, but you wouldn't know that based on her in-ring work against Britt Baker. Kamela was sloppy during most of this match and looked either unprepared or overwhelming during it. Thankfully, it didn't really matter because Britt was majorly over with the hometown crowd. Sure, Baker had to get TV experience to evolve as a performer earlier in her All Elite tenure, but the bottom line is, she's a major asset for AEW and has continued to develop as an athlete into the more major role for the company. Britt got the win and the crowd went crazy.

Speaking of crazy, the main event coffin match was wild, and Sting doing a dive for an episode of Dynamite at the age of 63 was surreal. This was a fun brawl and a good way to conclude the live show. Darby got the win, and I'm not sure if it made the air, but post-match the Hardys cut a promo on the stage to praise Sting for his legendary status.

Samoa Joe vs. Minoru Suzuki

All Elite Wrestling has reignited what was a very static industry, and still rightfully has its critics.

I've written many times before that AEW isn't perfect and it doesn't have to be. There are some natural comparisons to WCW in its heyday because of the lucha influence, as well as the fact that the shows are hosted on the Turner networks, the same channels that featured Nitro in the late-90s. So, when you remember that Nitro wasn't perfect, (Jerry Flynn vs. Disco Inferno didn't exactly set ratings records) you can't expect Dynamite to be flawless either.

That being said, one of the consistent criticisms of the All Elite product is that the programming varies wildly with segments that work very well to those that can be almost bizarre for its lack of logic in the grand scheme of things. On a general scale, you have feuds like the masterfully done MJF vs. CM Punk storyline that culminated in a memorable dog collar match. The promo on television the week of the pay-per-view was a very strong selling point, which is exactly what you need to sell traditional PPV in the modern era and then the bout itself delivered a classic for the viewing audience. It proved that major business can be done with CM Punk, even after seven years away from the sport, and MJF became a bigger star in the process so it was a win-win for everyone involved. On the other end of the spectrum, Adam Cole barely winning a match, including a defeat to Orange Cassidy in a lights out match, a few weeks before he challenged for the AEW world championship on that same pay-per-view didn't exactly make Cole shine before he was in a main event spot. In fact, the argument could be made that AEW had one of the WWE's best young stars walk onto their television show without the delay of a 90-day no compete clause and somehow his star power has been minimized under the Tony Khan banner. Unfortunately, Adam Page defending the title on very few occasions after he unseated Kenny Omega hasn't exactly showcased him as a dominate champion either. Granted, Tony Khan wanted to wait for the specific major shows for the American Dragon matches, but when there's a promo where Page himself mentioned lack of title defenses prior to the Texas death match against Lance Archer, it's obvious that he should've been featured more often after he won the championship.

This week's edition of Dynamite was a microcosm of this problem in AEW, particularly when some segments toward the conclusion of the show were such a contrast to what was booked earlier that you almost had to wonder if you were watching the same broadcast.

The show kicked off with CM Punk vs. Pentagon, and while I'm not sure what the abrupt gimmick change for Pentagon really brings to the table, other than something for him to do while Fenix is still on the sidelines,  this bout proved what I've been saying for the past few years, Pentagon has the potential to be a main event talent if given the opportunity. Granted, an opponent having a good match against CM Punk isn't shocking, but I really think that Pentagon, specifically because of his look, in-ring work, and unique charisma has the talent to be a much bigger star than to get typecast as just a high spot wrestler in the tag team division. That's not to say there aren't entertaining aerial bouts, but they are rather common in All Elite so it's much easier to get lost in the shuffle of the bloated roster. I'm not sure why, but prior to Fenix's injury, there were times that the Lucha Brothers were regulated to the Youtube shows. Furthermore, I think Fenix also has the potential to be a main event talent. The point being, there was a successful segment all around because event with a defeat, it spotlighted Pentagon as a star on television.

Along with the advertisement of Adam Page vs. Adam Cole in a Texas death match this week on Rampage, it was announced that Darby Allin will compete against Andrade in a coffin match next week on Dynamite, which highlights one of the other major problems with the promotion.

Listen, I have tickets to AEW in Pittsburgh next week so as a stand alone show, I think it's great that there's something unique on this specific event, but the amount of gimmick matches Tony Khan books is almost comical and already started to yield diminishing returns. There was the rather random Hardys vs. The Butcher and The Blade tables match last week. There's the Texas death match this week, not too long after the Page/Archer Texas death match, and there will be the coffin match next week on Dynamite. Was there anything to really justify a tables match? Has the Page/Cole feud truly escalated to the point that it justifies a Texas death match? Was the Darby/Andrade angle really on anyone's radar? By comparison, look at the CM Punk vs. MJF dog collar match and the build to it, are any of these other gimmick matches on that level? More than anything, the rush to book stipulations seems like a way to attempt to boost ratings for a week, which is something from the Vince Russo playbook and definitely not something that can yield success for more than a few weeks.

Finally, the main event of Minoru Suzuki vs. Samoa Joe for the ROH TV title was a great match and it's amazing that Suzuki can still go at that level at his age. That being said, Suzuki is one of my favorite wrestlers of all time and a legitimate legend in Japan, but the placement of this bout on the show might've been a miscalculation. I could be wrong and actually hope I'm wrong, but it's doubtful that the ratings will maintain or improve for the main event. Don't get me wrong, Suzuki is incredible, but the harsh reality is, the vast majority of the TBS audience probably has no idea who he is or understands why Suzuki vs. Joe is a dream match. It probably would've been better to open the show with this and then promote CM Punk in the main event segment. Again, it's a harsh reality, but on a national level more fans will tune into the show to watch Punk than Suzuki. As far as the booking all over the place, the stellar Suzuki vs. Joe match was a highlight of the broadcast, but that wasn't the case for the post-match angle.

More importantly and as I've said before, the most valuable acquisition with the ROH purchase was the video library because of the amount of streaming platforms that are willing to pay major money for content. The value of the current Ring Of Honor "brand" is minimal and if it wasn't then Sinclair wouldn't have sold it. The bottom line is, ROH wasn't generating enough revenue to sustain itself and that speaks volumes to its lack of marketability among the wrestling landscape. It's not meant as a knock on any of the athletes that worked hard during its existence, but the AEW audience doesn't have interest in the Ring Of Honor product. Again, if fans were invested into ROH then it wouldn't have been sold. If the post-match attack on Joe is supposed to generate interest in ROH, what exactly is the point? In my opinion, the resources, including valuable national TV time, of All Elite should be focused on establishing AEW. This attempted ROH crossover is rather pointless and dilutes the program Satnam Singh, whoever he is, attacked Samoa Joe, and not only does the audience have no idea who he is, considering that All Elite usually sells work rate, what exactly is the payoff with Singh?

On a show that had CM Punk highlight another potential big star, Pentagon, and the very entertaining Samoa Joe/Minoru Suzuki bout, there were announcements for more random gimmick matches and the debut of Satnam Singh. It's known that Tony Khan is a fan of Paul Heyman, but his attempts to book like the leader of extreme sometimes look like Vince Russo scripts. The show doesn't have to be perfect, but as some point, this booking fumbles will hinder the progress of the company.

UFC 273

Tonight's Ultimate Fighting Championship pay-per-view features two title bouts at the top of the card, and an interesting under card as well. The current Featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski, who was slated to defend his belt against former champion Max Holloway last month, will put the title on the line against "The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung. Volkanovski, who defeated Holloway twice previously, with their second bout as a narrow split decision win, was scheduled to compete in the trilogy fight last month, but an injury forced the challenger to cancel the contest. Instead, Jung was named the new opponent and the bout was shifted to UFC 273. Volkanovski's most recent fight was an impressive title defense against Brian Ortega in September of last year with the unanimous decision victory on the score cards.

With a record of 23-1 and the only blemish on it almost a decade ago, the 33-year-old champion is in the prime of his career and has defeated very solid competition, including the previously mentioned Holloway and Ortega, as well as the legendary Jose Aldo in recent years. The champion is a major favorite with the sports books and it's easy to see why the odds are in his favor, with some outlets listing him at nearly 7-to-1 odds to get the victory. I'm not sure that realistically, it's quite that lop-sided and some of those stats might be more to attempt to generate some money on the underdog, but unless you're willing to throw away a few dollars on the outside chance of an upset, most pundits see this as a clear victory for Volkanovski.

But, that doesn't mean it's going to be an easy win.

As the moniker suggests, the Korean striker is known for his exciting style, which is key for the fight business because in the grand scheme of things, it's still the entertainment business, but that doesn't automatically make it the most strategic approach to the fight game. The Korean Zombie will always and should have a place on the card, but his style leaves him open to take punches and it's very possible that Volkanovski will use take downs in the later grounds to secure a decision win. That being said, the intrigue of mixed martial arts is that it only takes one punch to change the potential of a contest. However, outside of what should be an entertaining bout, I think it's safe to say that Jung only has a puncher's chance because Volkanovski is a more well-rounded fighter.

The co-main event will settle the title dispute between current Bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling and former champion, Petr Yan. The controversy started during their original bout at UFC 254 last March when Yan landed a completely illegal knee in the fourth round. Sterling was unable to continue from the illegal strike so Yan was DQ'ed. Sterling was declared the winner via disqualification and won the title in the process. Granted, the knee was illegal so it was a legitimate loss for Yan, but it goes without saying that a title switch on a DQ isn't quite as definitive as a typical victory. The puzzling part of all of this is that Yan was winning the fight before he throw the knee so it's not as though he had to throw a wild strike to score points on the cards to be competitive in the fight. The rematch was originally scheduled for September of last year, but Sterling had an injury so Yan beat Corey Sandhagen via unanimous decision to claim an interim 145 LBS championship.

All things considered, I think the key to this bout will be how prepared is Sterling, both as far as the recovery time from the injury and any potential ring rust he might have since he hasn't fought in over a year. Sterling is a solid competitor, but Yan is more well-rounded in almost every aspect so it makes sense that Yan is the favorite ahead of the pay-per-view. I have to pick Petr Yan to get the win, simply because Sterling didn't show anything in their initial fight that gave the impression that he could defend against Yan's offense for five rounds.

In many ways, Khamzat Chimaev took the UFC by storm during the pandemic era of the promotion with cards being held at "Fight Island" and other empty venues. Considering that the vast majority of sports leagues were shuttered at the time, there were a lot of fans tuned into the UFC events so Chimaev had some extra exposure, as opposed to being lost in the shuffle of the almost weekly fight cards for the organization. He fought three times in the span of just two months in 2020 and was dominate in those wins, prompting many to speculate if he could be a potential title contender. He has shown very well-rounded skills with tremendous striking and submission skills so at least on the surface, there aren't any flaws in his game.

That being said, and taking nothing away from his accomplishments so far, Chimaev beat preliminary competition so his bout at UFC 273 against Gilbert Burns is not only a step up in the level of competition, but also a true test of where he stands amongst the premiere competition of the division. Burns is a dangerous puncher, but has the cardio to go the distance, which he did when he beat Stephen Thompson on the score cards in his last fight this past July. I will still pick Chimaev, but this fight is definitely the toughest fight of his career.

Tony Khan narrative

Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory. There are entire television series based on the supposedly unexplained. Aliens, Big Foot, and MK Ultra shows can be seen on the History Channel on a regular basis. What exactly is going on at Area 51? Is there really any gold in Fort Knox?

These topics of "debate" have longevity because regardless of if you put any stock into any of them, there's entertainment value in the content. If the Yeti is walking around the Pacific Northwest after he assaulted Hulk Hogan on Nitro at least provides a compelling possibility.

For nearly 60 years, there were books, documentaries, and movies about if there was someone on the grassy knoll.

However, if a conspiracy theory goes too far then you're the lunatic wearing the tin foil hat yelling at people on the street about the reptilians that live in the sewers while twelve members of the Illuminati control the entire world.

Tony Khan was trending on social media, and when I saw this, I assumed it was to announce another upcoming surprise for All Elite television, despite the fact that announcing a surprise actually eliminates the element of surprise. Instead, it was from tweets that he posted, claiming that an "independent study" found that the anti-AEW social media content isn't posted by wrestling fans, but rather by a staff hired to push negative All Elite propaganda online and Twitter bots to distribute the messages. 

Collusion? No Collusion?

Aside from this being a rather odd and random message to post publicly, it's just a bad look for Tony Khan because at the very least, it makes it look like he's under pressure from what was a very successful Wrestlemania weekend. Sure, there weren't actually 70,000 paid fans each night, but a full stadium provides great optics for the stock price after the next conference call. Khan went on to ask, "who would pay for such a wildly expensive thing?" as a way to reference WWE. At worst, this makes Tony Khan looks like an insecure businessman that is looking for any excuse to attempt to justify any uncertainty that remains about the public perception of AEW. It's not that the booker of the year scripted a flat segment, it's the WWE social staff that is generating false feedback. Considering the current climate of society, do you really want to be the guy that calls for fake news?

Obviously, the idea that Vince McMahon has a staff of social media bots is ridiculous. First and most importantly, the WWE doesn't care enough about AEW's online presence to hire a team. Vince said himself during the Pat McAfee show that he doesn't care about the internet, and truthfully, he shouldn't anyway. WWE is the Walmart of wrestling, it's a harsh reality, but the company targets the most casual fans possible, not the demographic that is diehard enough to tweet about the nuances of the sport. Along with that, attempting to influence the online perspective of All Elite would be pointless anyway because the nature of pro wrestling social media is a niche. Furthermore, there will always be varying opinions on any pro wrestling product so to assume that negativity is suddenly because of Twitter bots is almost bizarre.

The bottom line is, the WWE is a publicly traded corporation that is worth over a billion dollars and will tout record-setting profits for at least the next few years because of their major TV deals, as well as the Peacock deal so to attempt to cater to niche social media fans would be irrelevant.

The bigger story is that this all goes along with the the narrative that Tony Khan is more concerned with playing wrestling promoter than actually being one. Some of the flak Tony received previously was for some of the ways he over hyped or overstated AEW's status. Some of that can be forgiven because hyping the product is literally his job as the president of the company, but at the same time, Khan has to be careful not to jump the shark because there's a fine line between good will with the wrestling public for being enthusiastic about the industry and looking like you're on an ego trip.

Don't get me wrong, I think Tony Khan has undoubtedly made the industry better and without his fandom to fund the spark of the business, much of the compelling action that fans can enjoy today wouldn't be possible. AEW isn't perfect and it doesn't have to be. AEW isn't going to eclipse WWE to and it doesn't have to either. As I've said many times before, profitability is the true measure of success in any business venture, and AEW is profitably because of its TNT deal.

That's why this entire situation seems so random, especially because it wasn't as though there was any more negativity about All Elite or any other pro wrestling company than usual. I'm not sure what Tony Khan's motivation was, and I don't think any "independent study" would prove anything to the wrestling public or sway opinions anyway. The whole thing makes Tony Khan look very insecure about his own product, and it's difficult for a billionaire to portray themselves as the underdog against even the WWE.

The career of Tyler Cross

It's often said that professional wrestling commentary provides the lyrics to compliment the melody of the narrative of the action as it unfolds on-screen. So many iconic moments that are etched into the minds of fans for decades are cemented with the perfect exclamation point of a sound byte. The audio itself isn't meant to take center stage, but rather to compliment the moment even further, making it that much more memorable in the process.

Regardless of if the presentation is at the national stage with names like Gorilla, Ventura, Solie, Heenan, and others or at the local level of the indy circuit, the goal of an announcer is to inherently enhance the performance of those inside the ring ropes.

As a commentator in the Pittsburgh area for the past several years, I've made it a propriety to have the correct focus on the action and to present it in the best way possible. Unfortunately, there are times that nickle-and-dime promoters will put their cousin's mailman on the mic to save a few bucks with the erroneous notion that anyone can do the job because "it's just talking," It should go without saying that this is not the case, and the ability to showcase the talent of the squared circle is a job that should be taken seriously by those that consider the true objective of a place at the desk.

As we've seen over the years, sometimes a former athlete can transition to the booth after their playing days are over. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman have done this successfully in the NFL for years. When he isn't tearing it up on the vert ramp, the legendary Tony Hawk provides expert analysis for skateboarding competitions on ESPN. The same could be said for the ranks of sports entertainment, with the previously mentioned Jesse Ventura as one of the most well-known examples when blood clots forced him into retirement. He arguably became more popular with a mic in his hand than he did when he welded a steel chair as a wrestler.

That same dynamic could be true even on the local independent scene.

One such example is the Pittsburgh-based Tyler Cross, a weekend warrior that never had disillusion of grander of fame in pro wrestling, he simply competed for the love of the game.

"I never really had any major goals. I never wanted to conquer the world. I wanted to run around with my buddies and wrestle," he explained.

Ty Cross broke into the business in 2009 when he was still a college student. Exams and studying took priority, but he jumped at the chance to learn the craft anytime he could get into a ring around the tri-state area with his circle of friends.

"I trained through KSWA and Black Diamond Wrestling, but by an individual trainer who worked with them named Vinnie Stone. The second in command for that school and the “big brother figure” was Alex Arcadian. Our training was less than conventional, but we really learned psychology early on and I think it made us smart, which really shows with the guys in our class. My class was myself, Edric Everhart, Tony Johnson, Keith Haught, and Jay Flash. That was a great groups of guys to be close to. We were the only class Vinnie and Arcadian ever trained, but I think we proved a lot when you look at what we have been able to do," Cross said.

Ty was merely a toddler when he would wander into a Blockbuster with his family and see the colorful box art of countless pro wrestling VHS tapes lined up on the shelves. The glitz and the glamour of the spectacle of the industry hooked him as a fan for life. The florescent attire of the "Macho Man" Randy Savage, the insane energy of the Ultimate Warrior, and the icon "Hitman" Hart shades memorized him.

The reality of the pro wrestling business was much harsher and a true test to those that wanted to venture into it.

The training group stuck together, both with their bookings as rookies in the sport and their journeys to the events around the tri-state area. Keith Haught, a popular athlete that has worked the same area during the duration of Cross' in-ring career, had a Jeep that the half dozen wrestlers would jam themselves into like a clown car at the circus with gear bags partially blocking the view of the windows. Sometimes, the crew had the chance to wrestle in front of jam-packed venues for enthusiastic fans. Other times, they performed for sparely-attended shows in the middle of nowhere for meager pay. Late-night gas station food was featured on their way back to college so they could attend classes the following Monday. It wasn't glamours, but it was an opportunity to be a professional wrestler, which is something that Ty just couldn't pass up.

"My early career was pretty slow moving. I’ve never been a guy that ventured out looking for big crazy national bookings. I liked having home promotions, I liked working in front of crowds who knew me and I could tell stories to. But, early on there were some rough shows. Wrestling in front of 12 fans in a run down auto garage with no heat, those were tough. But, the five us us took those bookings together, and traveling with your friends always made it easier," Ty explained.

Cross was a gritty grappler that offered no frills or flashiness, but brought a skill set of psychology that could tell a narrative on the canvas. He found his niche in the world of independent wrestling alongside one of the hopefuls he met during those initial training sessions, his tag team partner, Edric Everhart, who continues to be a spotlight athlete in the Pittsburgh area.

 "I love him with my whole heart. We got paired together in training because KSWA wanted a tag team and we looked just enough alike. We barely even knew each other at that time. Funny story, back then I was actually afraid to ask him if he’d want to be my partner. He’s always had that vibe where you can’t tell if he likes you or hates you. But I was pretty lucky, because he’s legitimately my best friend in the world," Ty remarked.

The duo were known as "System Elite" and became cult favorites around the West Virginia and Pittsburgh scene for several years. Sometimes they wore wacky flannels to rally the crowd, and other times they utilized their villainous demeanor to generate jeers from the audience. Their well-rounded act made them one of the most useful teams in the region, and they found their biggest success in Ryse Wrestling, a league founded by veteran grappler, Brandon K in 2016. Things went full circle for Tyler when he had the chance to become one half of the inaugural Ryse tag team champions in 2019, working alongside many of his friends under the Ryse banner, very similar to the way he started in the industry with them nearly a decade earlier.

As important as the ring with his friends was to him, there was only one thing that completely eclipsed his love of pro wrestling, which was the love of his family. Ty and his wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Rose in November of 2019. Despite a decade in the ring, Cross had no major injuries and didn't want to risk his real-life work as a way to provide for his new family so he graciously bowed out from in-ring competition just a month after Rose made her debut in the world.

"Having a kid was the perfect time to cash out while I was still up instead of continuing to gamble and eventually something bad could happen. I wasn’t setting the world on fire, I wasn’t traveling to Mexico and Canada and Japan. I had my fun doing what I loved, and it was time to step back and be a dad," Ty said.

After the COVID-19 pandemic shut the entire world down and shuttered nearly all of independent wrestling, Ty was granted an opportunity to dip his toe in another aspect of the industry, the commentary side of the action. With just a few shows at the desk under his belt, Cross looks to continue to explore this new chance presented to him as a way to stay involved in the sport.

"I feel like commentary is where I belong. I love every second of it. I have a degree in broadcasting and worked in radio for a few years. Commentary allows me to stick around wrestling, still be a part of the shows, still be a character, and hang on to just a tiny bit of spotlight to boost my ego without risking any injuries. I truly believe I’m right where I belong with a headset on, putting over people in the ring," Cross noted.

So, Tyler Cross didn't find fame, fortune, or glory within sports entertainment. He didn't land a major contract or even get a look from "the big leagues," but that was never his personal barometer for success. His time in professional wrestling wasn't measured in dollars and Twitter followers. He marked his time in the ring with the chance to meet his best friends, entertain a paying audience, and live a small part of his dream. By that metric, Tyler Cross is very much a success story because he did it for the love of the game, and he's not done yet.

"I’ve gotten very good feedback so far, and maybe there’s bigger things for me as a commentator than there were as a wrestler. But for me, I’m just about having a good time at a wrestling show.," he concluded.