AEW Revolution review

All Elite Wrestling presented its latest pay-per-view offering, Revolution with the biggest selling point being the final bout in the stellar 40-year career of Sting, the franchise player in WCW and an athlete that somehow kept pace throughout the modern era. The event was held on the old Crockett stomping grounds, the Greensboro Coliseum, the same venue that hosted the famous Ric Flair/Sting bout at Clash of The Champions a few decades ago.

As I wrote in an article about Sting's retirement last week, the under card of this event is almost cannon fodder, as this was a night rightfully for Sting and the success of the show, both in ticket sales and pay-per-view buys, is based on the conclusion of his stellar career.

The show opened with the TNT championship match between Christian and Daniel Garcia. Christian is one of the smartest and best all around workers in the business today, as well as his generation. This segment proved exactly why he is such a ring general, and his work is a level above some of the bad habits that you might often see from other talent on AEW programming. While AEW sells work rate, particularly on pay-per-view, Christian knew that this was an opening match, and there was no reason to have some epic 30-minute Tokyo Dome clash or a ridiculous bump that would ultimately create a pitfall in the pace of the show later in the card.

This wasn't a match where they worked a chin lock for ten minutes and there was definitely solid action, but the difference between this and some of the amateur hour performances you often see on Dynamite from others on the roster is that this bout used a level of psychology that built to the finish. There weren't 38 near falls that some misguided notion might consider a false finish when nobody would believe it was the finish anyway. Instead, this contest had a narrative that shifted and built a level of drama with an actual false finish with the pile driver spot. There are times that you've seen multiple Canadian destoryers in a match that mean nothing since there are just another move in the match. Christian and Garcia used one pile driver to get the fans to wonder if this was the conclusion of the match, and that's just one example of how this segment maximized the maneuvers. Everything meant something and it's a lesson that could be useful for many on the roster. The finish saw Christian get the win in typical heel fashion, and this was a really solid opener, it was probably one of the best Daniel Garcia matches of his AEW tenure.

Next up was Eddie Kingston vs. Bryan Danielson for the Continental championship, and it was exactly what you'd expect from these two grapplers. This was a physical, hard-hitting bout that had the crowd following the entire segment, which is an example of how over both are with the fan base. Eddie's selling was so key because it gave the match an underdog narrative, which was more or less the entire premise of the storyline. The crowd identifies with Eddie Kingston as the blue collar fighter, and the stiff kicks and strikes from Danielson gave the baby face odds to overcome throughout the contest.

The match had a smart finish, and similar to the opening bout, there weren't a dozen near falls used as a substitute for compelling storytelling in this match. The selling from both performers was the glue of the bout as the action tilted back and fourth toward the finish. Furthermore, the conclusion was well done and emphasized the physicality of the match when Eddie got the win to retain the championship.

The scramble bout was a replacement match because of some key injuries to scheduled talent, and it looked like this was just a way for Tony Khan to shoehorn as many people on the card as possible. Powerhouse Hobbs and Wardlow had their moments and were showcased well. Outside of that, this was structured or lack thereof to be the fireworks match with as many moves as possible with zero psychology behind any of it. In some cases, that has its place on the card and can work, but it didn't translate on this show. Besides Hobbs and Wardlow getting some spotlight, there was a rather sloppy segment that didn't do anything other than burn out the audience, as they've just seen nearly every move in the book in less than 15 minutes so what else is there for the rest of the card to do later in the night?

The spot where Jericho used a fog machine was a little odd and clunky. Eventually, Wardlow got the win to secure a shot at the world championship, which was needed if for no other reason than the fact that after such an extended build up for the reveal of The Undisputed Kingdom faction, the group hasn't really done anything worthwhile since the Worlds End pay-per-view, which shows how much of a miss the entire angle was to begin with. As far as Wardlow getting a shot at the title, nothing about the way he has been used in AEW suggests that it will make a difference to his career path since he more or less always stays in the same position in the company.

The International title match was very good in a vacuum, but I'm not sure how much it meant on this particular show in this particular spot on the card. This bout had stiff striking and high impact wrestling, but the same could be said for the Kingston/Danielson bout, with the key difference being that not only was the style done better in the prior contest, but the Continental championship match had a a storyline that the audience was invested it, where as Orange Cassidy/ Roderick Strong just didn't have a meaningful angle behind it. Don't get me wrong, Roderick Strong is a very solid talent, and Cassidy, despite the criticism of his character, can go in the ring, but this was essentially a lesser version in terms of style of the Kingston/Danielson bout. Cassidy took a terrifying gut wrench suplex bump on the turnbuckles before Strong won the title.

I'm not sure the International title means much in the grand scheme of things, especially since there's an alphabet soup collection of belts in the organization, but similar to Wardlow's win, Strong needed the victory to give the stable some level of importance among the All Elite landscape. A side note, I don't know who let Roderick Strong walk to the ring wearing a cape and mask from the discount rack of the Spirit Halloween store, but let's hope we never see the cheap entrance gear again.

I have to be honest, I thought the FTR/Blackpool Combat Club match was a little underwhelming and somewhat disappointing, especially after the 20-minute draw they had on Dynamite a few weeks ago. This was yet another segment based on chops and hard strikes, but the audience already saw that in two previous contests on the card. I expected to see more fast-paced NWA-style tag wrestling, specifically because of where the show took place, but repetitive chops were used as a substitute for compelling wrestling. Along the same lines, Dax blading seemed to be another substitute for intensity, as the blood didn't add much to the bout. FTR is arguably still the best tag team in the business, and maybe the expectations were unfair, but again, I expected more than this rather one-dimensional presentation. The BCC got the win, but the crowd was relatively quiet throughout the segment, and I'd say that they actually had a better match on TV.

The Women's title match was in a no-win situation with its place on the card, but the subpar quality didn't help either. If you thought the crowd was quiet for the tag match, you could hear the popcorn guy selling concession in the bleachers during this match. The crowd was almost completely silent for this segment and seemed to have very little interest, if any at all, in the result of the championship bout. The match was clunky and despite only going about 10 minutes, it still dragged throughout the segment. I understand that everyone gets the artificial debut pop upon their arrival, but Deonna Purrazzo isn't over with the audience, and unless there's something major planned for her, she will quickly get lost in the shuffle to become just another name on the B-shows. Toni Storm is supposed to be a heel, but the character was over more than the baby face so it was a good decision to have her retain the belt.

Will Ospreay vs.Konosuke Takeshita was incredible, and this is the bout that should've been positioned as the only fireworks match on the card. This was a dazzling spot fest, and the reason that it works is that these are two of the best in the world at that style. When you have two performers of this caliber, there's no reason to have secondary wrestlers try to do something similar because it's a cheap imitation by comparison. That's why from a booking perspective, the type of matches that are going to be booked on a show matter in the overall presentation. This was fast-paced and hard-hitting, and it will be known as one of the best matches in All Elite history. That being said, there were also a few dangerous spots, including the brutal brain buster on the turnbuckles when it looked like Ospreay got spiked on his head.

This is where more wrestlers, specifically in the modern era, should be aware of the risk/reward ratio. Dave Meltzer might give them 84 stars for getting dropped on their head, but he's not going to pay their mortgage if they get injured. Considering the injury rate of AEW, Ospreay and Takeshita will have to take a measured approach because they can't draw money or be bigger stars if they're on the sidelines. Ospreay got the victory, but this was a win for everyone involved, as both of these performers should be used in the main event scene in the future.

The AEW world championship match was in a difficult position, as it had to follow the action of the stellar spot fest, and it had a rather convoluted storyline with the three-way match. I'm not sure what the point was here, because it didn't spotlight Samoa Joe as the champion, even though he retained the title since he was secondary within the narrative of the match. Samoa Joe is a modern day legend with his extended career and accomplishments, but nothing about his title reign so far showcases that. The whole Swerve/Adam Page angle is somewhat disjointed because Strickland is a heel, but not really and Page is just a whiny baby face that the audience is indifferent toward most of the time on television.

The intro to the main event was very well done. With as much criticism as Tony Khan rightfully gets for his amateur booking style, he presents the legends in the spotlight that they deserve, a stark contrast to the Vince McMahon philosophy. The entrance with Sting being able to share the moment with his sons was very nice. I was hoping that the two teams would keep this rather simple, allow Sting to play the greatest hits since that was all that was needed, and let the moment speak for itself. Unfortunately, they tried to "surprise" viewers with a level of shock value, and in my opinion, it was a total flop. Ric Flair trying to get into the ring to shield Sting at 75 to take a super kick was embarrassing. The ridiculous bump that Darby took through the glass and the grotesque damage it did to his back is something that should be reserved for two hundred fans in a parking lot on an independent show. Sting getting thrown through glass in his last match wasn't memorable, it was just unnecessary. This retirement match should've highlighted the final Stinger splash and the Scorpion Death Lock, not a death match stunt show.

Thankfully, Sting seemed to be okay after the bout, and it was nice that he could retire as a tag champion since he deserves the recognition. Overall, this was a solid pay-per-view that demonstrated what AEW could be, but at the same time had the flaws that have kept it from truly expanding on the national scene.

The Rock on Smackdown

The Rock effect is in full swing in the WWE.

More than two decades ago, Dwayne Johnson took the stardom that he garnered from working a relatively short pro wrestling career during the hottest period in the business in the late-90s and transitioned that to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. The Rock worked almost continuously on one film or another for the past several years, occasionally making a comeback to the ring, most notably for a pair of highly-profitable bouts against John Cena in 2012 and 2013, a time period before a streaming platform offered pay-per-views at a fraction of the traditional price.

One of the criticisms of The Rock's cameo appearances over the years was that his promos usually leaned on cliches and tired catch phrases, and there was validity to that, but at the same time, the general public wanted The Rock to play the greatest hits on the rare occasion that he was back on WWE television.

It's a unique time frame for the WWE and for The Rock himself. Despite the XFL flopping twice, for whatever reason, Dwayne Johnson thought that he could get the league off the ground when he bought it for $15 million a few years ago. Similar to the original league, the new edition of the XFL lasted one season after it launched last year, but intends to continue this season after it merged with the USFL to form the UFL as a spring league. As I've said anytime I've discussed the prospect of the XFL or any other spinoff league, the NFL dominates the sports landscape in America because of the brand recognition, history, and level of play of the league, not just the concept of football. It's very doubtful that any type of spring league, regardless of who is the figurehead behind it, will truly make a dent among the general public. At the same time, Johnson's past few films haven't exactly received rave reviews, despite the fact that they did well at the box office.

It's basically a win-win for everyone involved, as the WWE needed some type of positive PR after Vince McMahon resigned in disgrace after some horrendous allegations in the lawsuit, and Dwayne Johnson can reinforce the association of his brand with success as he makes a major impact with his return to pro wrestling. The Rock being named to the TKO board gives the corporation much better optics, as Dwayne Johnson is known as a legitimately nice guy for the stuff he does on social media through different charitable efforts, and it allows the conglomerate to continue to distance itself from Vince McMahon, who has a reputation as a sleazy executive that was accused of misconduct.

The promo with The Rock and The Bloodline made it clear that Dwayne Johnson was there to do business, not lean on old catch phrases.

While some might describe WWE as being in a hot period right now, as I've said before, I think that notion is misguided. The WWE is definitely better serving its audience and thus those fans are willing to spend more money on the product with ticket sales and merchandise, which is undoubtedly a success for the company. However, I don't think that means that the company is somehow a part of the pop culture conversation or anywhere close to a boom period for the industry.

That's not to discard the success, but as a comparison, this past Monday, Raw garnered a rating of 1.74 million viewers. When the business was a part of pop culture in the late-90s, it wasn't uncommon for Raw to land 4-5 million viewers, with another 3-4 million watching pro wrestling on another channel. Granted, the entertainment landscape has completely changed because of the amount of options that compete for viewers, but the point being, at least right now, WWE is generating record-setting profits because of the climate of the television and media industry, not because there's another boom period.

Truth be told, I'm not sure if the structure of the modern WWE, with seven hours of weekly TV and extended pay-per-views is something that the general public would follow enough to make it a part of pop culture again. Keep in mind, there are more media options now than any other time in history, Every podcast, streaming platform, and TV network is competing for viewers. Plus, a lot of the current generation are considered the "TikTok generation" with short video clips. Can the WWE truly get more fans to watch a three-hour episode of Raw or more specifically get new fans to watch the Monday night show after its put behind a paywall for Netflix next year?

That being said, The Rock's promo segment on Smackdown proved that not only can he still be a very important part of the WWE machine, but the extra spotlight that he brings to the table could be very useful for the rest of the roster.

Smackdown is a two-hour show, and if you subtract the commercial time, there are roughly 82 minutes of runtime for the broadcast. The Bloodline and The Rock had a segment on Smackdown that went just over thirty minutes from the entrances until the show went off the air. The Rock and The Bloodline had a promo segment that was technically more than a third of the actual broadcast, and they kept it compelling television. The Rock had a purpose and the promo had an impact on the set up for Wrestlemania, particularly with the tag match the first night and then the title match on the second night of the event. Not only did the promo have a meaningful direction, but the stipulation allows for the first night of Wrestlemania to build to the second night of the show.

One of the perks of getting The Rock back on a semi-regular basis is that his involvement can get some of the causal fans to take notice of some of the full-time performers. During the promo on Smackdown, The Rock yielded to Roman Reigns as the tribal chief of The Bloodline. Obviously, Dwayne Johnson is a bigger star than Roman, but within the context of the storyline, The Rock made Reigns the leader of the faction. That's important because the bigger of a star the heel is, the bigger the win for the baby face at the conclusion of the angle. If Roman is overshadowed by The Rock then Cody's eventually victory doesn't establish him as the top guy near as much as it would've otherwise.

The Rock adds a level of sizzle to the program, and with his involvement on the TKO board, that opens the door for him to be used more often, even if its eventually in a non-wrestling role. It was interesting to note that he used the term "wrestling," something that Vince McMahon considered a dirty word, a few different times in the promo. While sports entertainment is a great marketing strategy, the fans don't say they are "watching sports entertainment" or "going to the sports entertainment matches" so the segment was more authentic than some of the other angles from years prior to this. Furthermore, with Triple H as the head of creative, the biggest difference that you can see throughout the product is that there isn't 50/50 booking to hinder the progress of the product. The argument could be made that the 50/50 booking of the latter Vince McMahon era neutralized the effectiveness of many angles. That's why throughout much of the programming from 2016-2021 you could often skip a month of the show and not miss any key portions of the angle.

The point being the current product seems to have a firm direction and thus there's a level of importance to the storylines. More specifically, The Rock emphasized the importance of the main event angle of Wrestlemania and that's how you draw money. Some fans might criticize a part-timer returning to take a main event spot at WM, but there are very few in the business that could be involved in a thirty-minute promo segment and keep it as compelling as The Bloodline did on Smackdown.

CMLL talent on Dynamite

In recent weeks, more lucha libre talent have made their way onto All Elite Wrestling programming, including the main event segment of Dynamite this week when Chris Jericho beat Atlantis Jr. via submission. It was a full circle moment for "Lion Heart," as he worked with the elder Atlantis early in his career in Mexico, and the veteran luchador was at ringside for the bout.

Make no mistake about it, lucha libre can be a wonderful and exciting style of pro wrestling. The vibrant and passionate Hispanic culture adds so much to the atmosphere. The fact that drugs and corruption, much like it has done to the country as a whole, in the business in Mexico have kept lucha from truly showcasing how amazing it can be is truly disappointing.

You've heard for years how it was thought that a lucha libre organization could flourish in the United States because of the increased Latino population, and while I don't think a full-fledged lucha group could make a dent on the national level because the style and presentation is completely different than the pro wrestling that the general public is familiar with, it goes without that aspects of the lucha genre can definitely draw money in the United States. A lot of it would have to do with the introduction and presentation of the stars involved, and as one-dimensional as it was, Rey Mysterio's presentation as the lucha legend in WWE is an example of how it can be used to draw major money. When WCW was foolish enough to unmask Mysterio, the WWE merchandised it and used the design to help make him one of the most popular stars in the history of the company.

As far as something pure lucha libre, that works on a more local or regional level because it can be tailored to those specific fans. Keep in mind, on a national level, the target audience is the casual fan so the product has to be as broad as possible. So, obviously, the national presentation of lucha libre in America can definitely be profitable, but it's also a balancing act.

As with most things on AEW shows, the ham-handed attempt to book lucha stars wasn't a measured approach at all, at least for the majority of the past few weeks. Without explanation or a video package to hype their arrival, a group of CMLL talent began a feud with The Blackpool Combat in recent weeks. Besides the fact that the vast majority of the TBS audience has no idea who they were, it's also possible that even a portion of the diehard AEW fan base was unfamiliar with the talent because lucha is somewhat of its own niche, even among diehard American fans. It's nothing against Excalibur, but one of the reasons that Mike Tenay was so valuable for WCW and thus why the luchadors became a staple of the Nitro program, is that Tenay explained their background and presented them in such a professional manner. On the flip side, the Jericho/Atlantis match at least had a story behind it and an easy narrative for the audience to follow throughout the segment. There was context to who Atlantis was as a previous opponent and mentor to Jericho, and it was a chance for the now-veteran Lion Heart to compete against the second generation, the same way his father had matches against Jericho early in his career before he showed up as Lion Heart in WCW.

However, news made the rounds just a few days ago that could impact the new working agreement between CMLL and AEW.

The Wrestling Observer reported that there's a list of 19 CMLL performers that are in danger of getting their work visas canceled because of some type of issue with the paper work. Among the names, Volador Jr., Hechicero, and Mascara Dorada are listed as those that might not be allowed to work in the United States. The trio were some of the CMLL talent that appeared on AEW TV to start the feud with the BCC. PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported that the list of luchadors had work visas sponsored through the independent promotion Full Blown Pro Wrestling in Texas. When there was an issue with the visa, the independent promoter was told that he would be held responsible if the issues weren't resolved. Johnson reported that CMLL told the Texas promoter that they would handle the issue, but didn't and weren't in contact with Full Blown Pro Wrestling management so the promoter contacted the US government to let them know that he terminated his working agreement with the Mexican group.

This could affect not only the CMLL talent that AEW has already used on TV, but it might also be difficult to bring other CMLL wrestlers into the company, depending on their specific visa status. Considering that there was an influx of talent and even an angle that suggested that the BCC would wrestle at Arena Mexico, it appears that this wasn't a one-off type of deal for CMLL talent to be featured on AEW television, and some have speculated that perhaps the Mexican group will be apart of the next Forbidden Door pay-per-view later this year.

Nothing about Tony Khan's management style suggests that he's prepared, but it should go without saying that if he was going to feature foreign talent on his television program for any extended period of time or they were going to be used in any role on importance, their visa status shouldn't depend on an independent promoter. We've seen countless times that money is no object for Tony so it's nothing more than a complete oversight that the CMLL talent were booked on his shows without AEW being in control of their visa status. Money talks and if Khan was willing to sponsor the talent himself then the cancelling of work visas wouldn't have an impact on the talent available to AEW.

Obviously, the US government isn't going to overlook the work visa issue, especially because a work visa being granted is expensive, which is why there are rules in place for the visa process since it's basically a way for the government to generate more money. Given the current political climate, and the fact that some of the CMLL talent that might get their work visas cancelled have worked on national television, it's an issue that will have to be resolved if Tony wants to continue the working agreement with the Mexican league. Since it involves branches of the government, the work visa process can be extensive and probably something Tony Khan should've looked into before he had the Mexican group beat down a few of his top stars.

You will occasionally hear that a WWE talent has to return to their native country for a few weeks to get a fresh work visa, but that's essentially a technicality because of how long a permanent work visa, a green card, or even citizenship takes to be approved by the US government. The fact that the entire CMLL angle might have to be scrapped because some of the talent will have their work visas completely cancelled is another example of mismanagement from Tony Khan in AEW.

However, this might be a red flag for Tony to simply maintain the roster of luchadors that he already has for his promotion.

The political scene in Mexico is actually more silly and petty than the politics in the United States. Despite being a different company, if CMLL talent are booked for AEW then the full-time AEW talent that work for AAA can't appear on the same show because of rivalry between the two Mexican groups. This even included the promotions that CMLL works with, as the lucha league has a working agreement with New Japan so that's why AEW talent that works for AAA didn't appear at the Forbidden Door pay-per-views. Should Tony Khan really try to juggle the politics of Mexican wresting just to get a few CMLL talent on the show, especially when the visa issues complicate the matter even more?

While Bandido is still sidelined with a wrist injury, and Vikingo suffered a very serious knee injury at a small show in Mexico that required surgery a few days ago, All Elite Wrestling still has many talented luchadors on the roster. Pentagon and Rey Fenix are money. Rush signed a full-time deal with the promotion last year, and there are other Mexican deal also signed to AEW contracts. When you take into account the political hurdles and the visa issues, maybe Tony Khan should chalk the CMLL experiment up as a lesson learned as a promoter and use the TV time to feature the roster that he signed to full-time AEW deals.

Virgil passed away

Mike Jones, famously and infamously known as WWF and WCW star Virgil, died today after a bout with a variety of health issues, as well as a dementia diagnosis.

Jones, a native of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, a town just outside of Pittsburgh, broke into the sport in the mid-80s in the Memphis territory as Soul Train Jones, a spinoff of the Apollo Creed persona in the Rocky franchise. As we know, he found perhaps his biggest success in the late-80s as the bodyguard of "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase, a role that saw him work with the biggest stars of the era. The fact that DiBiase would be accused of federal fraud years later is irony to be discussed at a different time. Still, working with DiBiase more or less gave Virgil a career, as he eventually turned baby face to feud with The Million Dollar Man, and worked for the WWF until early-1994.

To say that his in-ring skills were limited would be somewhat of an understatement. Similar to many guys of the era, the real-life Mike Jones looked great in the cut off dress shirt as the hired muscle for DiBiase, but when the bell rang, it was more or less downhill in terms of in-ring performance. Perhaps, that's why he was relegated to a lower mid-card spot after the subpar matches with Ted during their feud for the million dollar championship, as DiBiase was known as a tremendous worker so if Virgil couldn't have a good match with him, it's doubtful that he'd work better a contest with other opponents, especially the more gimmick-based performers in the company at the time. A series of soft jabs and unconvincing hooks are more or less the only offense Virgil brought to the table.

But again, he played a key role in the late-80s and did very well at it so it opened the door for him later in his career.

The prime example of that being when, "Vincent" debuted in WCW in 1996 as another former WWF star to join the newly-formed NWO faction. One of the urban legends of the industry suggests that Mike Jones was given the name Virgil as an inside joke on then-Crockett booker, Dusty Rhodes, real name Virgil Runnels, so as a response Jones was named Vincent as a playful jab at McMahon. As WCW was crumbling in the later years of the organization, he was even renamed "Shane" as a rib on the younger McMahon generation.

In truth, Vincent was merely cannon fodder in the NWO, despite the fact that he used that accomplishment to shill autographs for two decades afterwards. That said, the faction needed cannon fodder, as it kept the stars strong, but gave the baby faces a small measure of revenge to fuel on-screen rivalries. Granted, the stable became completely bloated with C-level cannon fodder, but the argument could be made that Vincent was the best at the role. When The Giant needed to choke slam a foe during the course of an angle with The Outsiders or Hollywood Hogan, Vincent made him look like a million dollars.

Again, Jones was limited so you won't find many classic WCW bouts from him, but to be fair, he wasn't put in the position to be anything more than a secondary player in an organization that skyrocketed ahead of the WWF at one point in the late-90s and then fell off a cliff just as fast before it was sold just a few years later.

In more recent years, and arguably what he became known for more than his wrestling days, was Virgil's almost unbelievable commitment to hustling some cash based on his past fame. Specifically around Pittsburgh, you'd see Virgil literally anywhere that there might be a gathering of a crowd of people, regardless of if he was scheduled to be there or not. There were comic cons, flea markets, and even the Home and Garden show that saw Virgil shamelessly set up a merch table to try to sell autographs at insanely inflated prices to anyone in the area. It wasn't just his hometown, though. There were infamously pictures of Virgil set up in the New York subway, trying to sell signatures for $20 on glossy photos of him with his peers in the 80s. Among his slick or carny, depending on your perspective, tactics saw him display the "Wrestling Superstar Virgil" sign that claimed that Ted DiBiase was there, too. Of course, the million dollar man wasn't actually there and his last name was misspelled on the banner. Jones also had a series of completely outlandish claims about his accomplishments in the industry.

Sam Roberts, panelist on some of the WWE kickoff shows, launched the "Lonely Virgil" trend in 2012 when pictures of the former wrestling star without a line at autograph shows, and his stories of trying to get cash from less-than-enthusiastic potential customers, made the rounds on social media. The same group that managed the late Iron Sheik's social media accounts that gave him a second act in his career, also produced content for Virgil's social media presence. Virgil didn't achieve the same social media fame of the aging Iranian, who made a dent in pop culture in his 70s, but the real-life Mike Jones achieved a level of notoriety that he hadn't seen since his wrestling days.

Instead of being viewed as the carny trying to con cash at card shows, Virgil became a comical figure that was just trying to hustle. He proclaimed his passion for Olive Garden and bread sticks, while forming what he called "the meat sauce mafia" as a reference to the phony Italian restaurant.

When his declining health was reported online, fans came together to raise money for his medical bills. About a year and a half ago, my wrestling pal, the brass-voiced "Trapper" Tom Leturgey, ring announcer of the KSWA group, wrote a feature about Virgil's status for Slam Wrestling. According to Leturgey, the real-life Mike Jones was almost homeless before a roommate took him in as a way to look out for the well being of the former wrestler.

Not long before Trapper Tom's story, I actually saw Virgil at a local autograph signing in May 2022. D&E Collectibles hosted a signing with Tug Boat and Jimmy Hart. Virgil was added to the line-up, but I had met him years earlier so wasn't going to consider a purchase from him. As I was in line to meet the other two WWF stars, Virgil randomly began talking to me and tried to sell me an NWO lunchbox. He said, "here's some old school." I politely declined his sales pitch, but in the brief interaction, the reports of dementia appeared to be accurate. Virgil didn't seem to be all there and it was sad.

Perhaps, that's why there's such a level of sadness with the news of his passing. Sure, Virgil could've been a sleazy carny that tried to con people with a crooked sales pitch for autographs. But, the other side of the coin is that he might've just been a guy that fell on tough times and was desperately trying to make some money. Too often, especially in the social media age, the public often assumes the worst about people, and sometimes that might be true, but I'm not sure if that was the case with Virgil. His outlandish stories were such tall tales that nobody other than the real-life Mike Jones would've known his intentions with his merch table. At least in the latter stages of his life, Virgil's hustle obtained a level of endearment from the social media audience. One thing is for sure, in a business that was built on over-the-top personas, Virgil will be known as one of the most unique and memorable characters in the history of the industry.

The retirement of Sting

On the week when crusty and miserable legend, Ole Anderson passed away at the age of 81, Sting's retirement match will headline the All Elite Wrestling Revolution pay-per-view, appropriately held in Greensboro, North Carolina, the old stomping grounds of Jim Crockett Promotions where Sting got his first big break in the sport. The city remained a WCW stronghold based on is prior association with Crockett until the purchase of the company in 2001. So, it's a fitting location for the real-life Steve Borden's final bout, as he was the true franchise player of World Championship Wrestling.

Make no mistake about it, Sting was a stellar bright spot in the otherwise bleak first few years of Turner ownership of WCW. To call the Jim Herd era lean years would be an understatement, but Sting was the top guy that the company counted on, especially when Ric Flair left for a two-year stint in the WWF after a dispute with Herd.

The real-life Borden was also a smart businessman, he knew his value, and more often than not, was able to get it. As one of the top guys in WCW in the early-90s, the term "Sting money" was later used in negotiations for big names from the WWF as a reference for the potential to be among the highest paid performers on the roster. Granted, Sting wasn't Lou Thez in the ring, and he didn't need to be, he worked to his strengths, a fast-paced and flashy performance with a level of charisma that could connect with the audience. Despite the fact that his historic title victory at Starrcade 1997 was completely botched by management, there's no doubt that the Crow version of Sting was one of the most popular characters at the peak of WCW's popularity. The argument could be made that the Crow version of his persona was more popular than the original surfer character. Not only did Sting know how to maximize the presentation, but at a time when the NWO were the cool heels on the show, Sting was still an over baby face with the audience.

He also knew when to step away and when to consider a return to the ring, as it maximized his value.

After he made hefty cash in WCW, he had the financial security that he didn't need to jump at the first offer made to him by Vince McMahon. Instead in the five years after the Turner buyout, he only worked a handful of matches for major money each time he laced up the boots. A four-match run with TNA in 2003 and less than a dozen matches for the ill-fated World Wrestling All-Stars tours kept a level of mystic around him, particularly because even the brief TNA appearances were during the weekly PPV era so most fans hadn't seen him since the final Nitro went off the air.

Sting knew how to draw money and he knew how to make money, as did the previously mentioned Ole Anderson. Ole didn't evolve and ultimately, that saw the business pass him up so he didn't have a role in later years, but as bitter as he was, he undoubtedly understood the true fundamentals of success in the industry.

Just a few months after TNA debuted on Spike and had a level of cash from the network to bring in more star power, Borden inked a very lucrative contract with the organization and worked there for several years. Credit to Sting, most former WCW or WWE talent treated TNA like a paid vacation and mailed-in many of their performances, but he worked at a level to keep pace with the new generation. Don't get me wrong, Sting knew that the face paint and the scorpion presentation is what fans wanted to see, but at the same time, when he beat Jeff Jarrett for the title at Bound For Glory in 2006, even at 50, he was in great shape and added a few new aspects to the presentation with some red face paint and different entrance attire.

Sting finally landed in WWE in 2014 after it was the last big money company left to work at the time, and because there was nearly 15 years of anticipation behind it, he made major cash, despite only working two matches. Of course, he had to lose to Triple H at Wrestlemania since Vince McMahon was still fighting the wrestling war that he won a decade and a half earlier. Regardless of how well received Triple H is now and definitely has a positive impact to the current product, make no mistake about it, it's no coincidence that Vince's son-in-law got to beat the franchise of WCW at WM. A power bomb to the corner in a match against Seth Rollins in late-2015 caused a neck injury that presumably ended Sting's in-ring career. It was a rather flat conclusion to a very accomplished career, but as mentioned, the WWE contract was very profitable for Sting, specifically because there was an entire line of merchandise for him throughout his WWE deal.

Let's not forget, Steve Borden is a smart businessman.

When a billionaire started a wrestling company and was known to be a major WCW fan, Sting was able to capitalize on that and signed another hefty deal at almost 60. While there are probably some savvy veterans on the AEW roster that are just there to collect a paycheck from Tony Khan, Borden isn't one of them. Similar to his TNA run, Sting went above and beyond what he had to do to earn the cash, especially at his age. More than before, Sting could've played the greatest hits with a Stinger splash and the Scorpion Death Lock to work relatively easy matches for a limited schedule. I'm not necessarily sure how wise it is, but over the past four years, Sting has dove off of the balcony on more than one occasion in his mid-60s.

For a portion of his career, Steve Borden, for whatever reason, had somewhat of a label as a guy that was only in wrestling for the money. Maybe it was because he started with a bodybuilding background instead of a wrestling foundation, maybe it was because he had early success in his career and was sometimes a big fish in a small pond, or maybe it was because he was selective of when he inked a new deal. Again, he was away from the industry almost completely for five years after the WCW shutdown. For whatever reason, there might've been the narrative earlier in his career that pro wrestling was only a way to make major money, rather than a dedication to the sport itself. Hopefully, at this point, that notion has been disproved, because Sting without question has a passion for the pro wrestling industry. He was just a very smart businessman and maximized his opportunities and his earning potential. When there's no pension or retirement plan for pro wrestlers, you can't blame him for that.

Sure, he didn't jump at the chance to work a Wrestlemania just because of the name of the event, but as mentioned, Sting always worked hard, even when he probably didn't have to or could've coasted on his legacy. In the past four years in All Elite Wrestling, even when there were times when he showed his age, Sting gave a quality performance so the dedication to the sport is there. Sting has to have a passion for the business if he was willing to dive off the balcony at retirement age.

That's why it's great that his final bout is the centerpiece of the Revolution pay-per-view, he deserves the stage and the acknowledgement, and it's a much better conclusion to his career than the neck injury he suffered in 2015. Some have criticized The Young Bucks as the team for his last match, but reportedly, he requested to work with him, and if that's the case then he deserves to be able to pick his opponents. While there probably were times when AEW yielded to The Bucks' ego, specifically when they refused to work with CM Punk, egos aren't anything new in the wrestling business, and it's doubtful that's why they were booked to work Sting's last match anyway. The Young Bucks are going to make Sting look like a million dollars in his last match so anything else is moot.

The success of the Revolution pay-per-view will be based on Sting's retirement match, and he deserves that spotlight. Still, outside of the Eddie Kingston/Bryan Danielson match, and the Will Ospreay/Konosuke Takeshita bout, Sting's last match is the only solid selling point of the show. The world title match that might be a triple threat match was too convoluted to be built properly and only has a moderate buzz at best. Given Swerve's popularity, it would've made more sense to focus on Samoa Joe/Strickland than to dilute the storyline with the addition of Adam Page, who still hasn't recovered from being cast as a whiny baby face during his world title run a few years ago. The under card is total cannon fodder and lacks the substance to have a level of importance in the grand scheme of things for the company.

The career of Jakob Edwinn

"I took a bad face plant and separated my AC joint, my collar bone tried to come out of my shoulder."

 In late-April of last year, 12-year pro Jakob Edwinn, a pompous professor that lectures fans and opponents during the course of his matches, found himself on the canvas with a searing pain radiating through his shoulder. As he clutched his arm inside the squared circle at the Short Gap VFW Hall in Short Gap, West Virginia of all places, the philosopher knew that he was in trouble.

Just over a month later after a battery of tests to confirm and properly diagnosis the extent of the injury, the wrestling veteran went under the knife for his first major surgery to repair the damage the errant collision with the canvas caused. A few screws and plates allowed the surgeon to reattach his AC joint, and without any question, Edwinn began to prepare for his return to the squared circle.

In an ironic dynamic that only professional wrestling can provide, despite a persona based in higher education and a sophisticated presentation, Jakob Edwinn's path throughout pro wrestling was anything but high brow and glamours.

Back in 2011, Edwinn was put in contact with longtime veteran and trainer "Wild man" Robbie Page and wanted to learn the ropes of the sport. The only problem was, there were no ropes. In fact, there wasn't a ring available either. Instead, Edwinn and a group of other aspiring wrestlers put gym mats over a concrete floor, learning fundamental techniques and maneuvers in their makeshift training space. To actually get to learn more in-ring aspects, the grappling hopefuls would travel with their trainer to any card he was scheduled for and work the ring crew, setting up an actual ring just for the chance to be able to get ability to practice their skills before a live event.

His official debut in the sport in late-2012 didn't have much glitz or spectacle to it either.

In a forgotten town in rural Pennsylvania, Edwinn stepped into the ring ropes for his first match as a professional wrestler in a parking lot behind a small restaurant. There were exactly 12 paying fans in attendance that night for the moment that the future professor put so much time and effort into, practicing tumbles on concrete floors and setting up more rings than he could count just to get a chance to learn more about the sport. The dozen fans that were there had to bring their own chairs, as the venue didn't supply them, but at least Edwinn cites the chance to watch the legendary "Boogie Woogie Man" Jimmy Valiant as a key learning experience.

"I would go on to study him greatly, and years later wrestle Jimmy in a six man tag match in Dyersburg, TN four or five years later in front of 200 people," Edwinn said.

Thankfully, Edwinn would have an upswing from the event that saw him perform in front of those 12 fans, honing his craft for more than a decade, zigzagging several states. He cited the long travel, late-night gas station food, and the exhaustion of wrestling a full schedule as key to his development as a polished talent. Working events along the east coast as far down as Florida, and as far west as Oklahoma, Edwinn displayed a work ethic not often seen on the independent circuit. Antagonizing audiences with his arrogant intellectual character, he showcased a poise in the ring, and most importantly, the ability to entertain an audience, which is a key aspect for a villain in the industry.

"Traveling isn't anything it's cracked up to be, it becomes a lot like the movie Office Space or Fight Club. You learn to love the road, you learn how to entertain yourself. When you find great traveling partners, that helps pass the time. In Arkansas I've wrestled in front of 1000 people in Pro Wrestling Mid South. I really honed my craft, in Dyersburg, TN. They wrestle every Friday in Ripley and every Saturday in Dyersburg, you can't help but get skilled with that kind of schedule," Edwinn explained.

However, it was the same place where his journey into the grappling arts started, the Mountain State of West Virginia, that provided the most unique experience of his 12 years as a professional wrestler in a town called River Bend Park.

"This is a community of mobile homes, with houses built around being able to park your mobile home in it, and paid entertainment throughout the year. So, we set up our ring in a field, and 300 golf carts, the mode of transportation in River Bend, pull up to watch a couple hours of wrestling. The place is like the Lost Boys grew up and named streets; Yogi Bear Lane, Hotdog Blvd, Jolly Rancher St. it's like another planet," Jakob recalled.

Over the course of those 12 years, Edwinn went from those 12 fans in attendance at his first match to sharing the ring with some of the legends that originally shaped his fandom for the sport. From Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Jimmy Valiant to upstarts with potential to forge their own careers in the sport like Ryse Wrestling's Cowpoke Paul, Jakob Edwinn has worked with a variety of opponents as he built an accomplished career for himself.

In a full-circle moment, Jakob Edwinn will return to from injury this Saturday for the same organization, Elite Pro Wrestling Alliance, in the same ring, and at that same Short Gap VFW hall where the shoulder injury initially happened.

The extensive rehab of his shoulder and extended time in the gym training for this comeback were only considered a small price to pay for the ability to entertain an audience again, as many of Edwinn's goals remain the same.

"The fire burns brighter than ever. I have three goals when I accept any wrestling endeavor, make money, learn something, and have fun. If one of those isn't happening, I'm not interested. I'm getting close to the best shape of my life and that's dangerous for anyone in my way. I'm looking far and wide for anyone as smart as me to learn from, because no one has a hope of being smarter," Edwinn concluded.

Elimination Chamber review

Usually, the only time I will set an alarm for a pro wrestling event is New Japan's signature Tokyo Dome event, Wrestle Kingdom that takes place on January 4th, but in the modern era, streaming technology allows for much more flexibility than in the past with traditional pay-per-view distribution. Aside from scheduling, that flexibility gives WWE brass more options for where these events can take place and thus the revenue that can be generated from it. Aside from the guaranteed cash that is a part of the Peacock deal, the WWE can get site fees to bring those shows to specific cities. For example, Perth, Australia paid some hefty cash to get a major WWE show in their city and a packed stadium in the process. The overseas market, even now remains such untapped territory in many ways because of the travel and logistics involved with importing American-based entertainment so while they are more opportunities to draw from the foreign markets, there still remains a strong demand since live events are relatively rare compared to the amount of events held in domestic markets.

The difference is, instead of an Australian house tour maybe once a year that there was a decade ago, there can be a major pay-per-view event in a stadium with more than 50,000 fans in attendance. Still, with the time difference and the American market not watching at the same time, you have to wonder, would this be a glorified house show or will key pieces of the Wrestlemania puzzle be put into place? One thing is for sure, it says a lot about the power of the WWE brand when they can run another stadium show on their schedule, particularly since there was a time when a stadium event was rare, but it has become more and more common in recent years. Wrestlemania became a stadium show more or less exclusively since 2007, and that was expanded upon with the introduction of a two-night event a few years ago. After that, the "big four" events were held in stadiums, most recently with Summer Slam in Detroit last year and then The Royal Rumble was held in Tampa last month. Now, a few of the other shows, including the Saudi events, are held in stadiums. Don't get me wrong, it's very doubtful that WWE pay-per-views will only be held in a stadium, the name value of certain shows just don't justify or would draw for it, but again, it says a lot about the power of the WWE brand when almost half of the pay-per-views could be held in a stadium.

For organizational purposes, I'm only going to discuss the main card, but the pre-show saw The Kabuki Warriors defeat Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team titles. The match was fine, but it was a basic match that seemed to be there more to give the live audience some variety than anything else.

As is usually the case with pay-per-views that have two chamber matches on the card, the show kicked off with one chamber match, but didn't conclude with the other chamber bout. Instead, WWE brass played into the hometown crowd and put Rhea Ripley in the main event spot. On the surface it makes sense, but is Nia Jax really a main event performer? As far as the start of the show with the chamber match, in some ways this creates and almost natural dip in the pace of the show since it starts with one of the signature matches. The women's chamber match kicked off the show, and all things considered, it was a solid performance for everyone involved. Each competitor had a chance to shine, and while there were some clunky moments, there were enough highlights that this will be considered a good segment. At just 24, Tiffany Stratton still has time to develop as a perform. She is very athletic and the dive she did from the top of the chamber was a major moment, but you can still see her in-ring inexperience. She's very good at the choreographed moves that she knows how to do for a routine, but the "glue" of in-ring work for transitions between the moves isn't there yet. That said, she wasn't out of place her so it will be interesting to see if she can became a more well-rounded performer as she continues to work with the top-tier talent on the main roster. Bianca Belair was solid as she always is and looked like a total star throughout the match. That being said, based on the interactions on Raw and the fact that Becky Lynch was given the final introduction, it was rather obvious that she was going to win the chamber to advance to WM.  Raquel Rodriguez did well in this match, but her character is rather bland so there's still work to be done there if she's going to be considered on the same level as the top stars of the women's division. The quick pin that Becky got on Liv Morgan to win the match after Morgan eliminated Bianca was well done.

The tag team title match had a lot of action and was very entertaining. It was the "work rate" match on a gimmick pay-per-view and provided the substance to go along with the sizzle of the chamber matches. That said, it was obvious that Judgment Day weren't going to drop the titles so it wasn't a surprise when Finn Balor got the pin to retain the titles. It looked like Finn suffered a nasty thumb injury at some point near the conclusion on the contest so hopefully, it's not a serious injury.

I understand why they'd want to have the Grayson Waller segment on the show as another way to play into the hometown aspect, but this whole portion of the show was just too long and it became a rather tedious viewing experience. Austin Theory was there so that the baby faces could dispatch the heel, but this was the same talk show bit that we've seen before and it truly added nothing other than to stretch the broadcast. Between this segment, the commercials, and countless video packages, it was two hours into the show and there were only two matches.

Outside of spot where Bobby Lashley speared Logan Paul through the chamber, this was a rather paint-by-the-numbers chamber match. There's nothing necessarily wrong with that, but it was more or less just a series of moves rather than a narrative that unfolded throughout the contest. AJ Styles cost LA Knight the match so you can pencil that bout in for WM, which is a good choice since the two will probably have a solid match at the event. Similar to the women's chamber match, based on the interaction on Raw, it was fairly obvious that Drew McIntyre was going to win the bout to challenge Seth Rollins for the championship. Logan Paul costing Randy Orton the win would imply that they will have business to do at WM, but keep in mind, there wasn't anything resolved with Kevin Owens and the social media star with the DQ finish at the Royal Rumble last month so it remains to be seen how any of that could play a role in the line-up for April.

If you needed to know how much the audience didn't look for Nia Jax to be in the main event, despite being in a stadium with more than 50,000 fans, she got a very mediocre crowd reaction during her entrance. Nobody in the building believed it was possible that she was going to beat Rhea Ripley so they were rather indifferent to Nia being the opponent. As far as the match itself, Nia was uncoordinated and her moves were sloppy. The Samoan drop on the announce table looked dangerous and the elbow drop that followed it was clumsy. Outside of being The Rock's cousin, I'm not sure why Nia is being used in this role. Thankfully, Rhea Ripley retained the title and avoided injury in this match.

The pay-per-view was fine and it had its moments, particularly with the pieces of the puzzle it provided to set up  Wrestlemania, which was more or less the entire point of the event. However, there was just too much stalling between matches and with a main card that only had four bouts, it became a very tedious viewing experience over the course of three and hours. Basically, even with implications for the biggest show of the year, this was a show that I would've rather watched afterwards to be able to fast forward through the cannon fodder than something that had to be seen during the live broadcast of the event.