AEW vs. GCW

Professional wrestling, for whatever reason, regardless of if there's $20 on the line at a sparsely-attended independent show in the middle of nowhere, of if there could be millions at stake on the national stage, has always tended to drift toward pettiness. Maybe it's the fact that the action is scripted and thus at the behest of someone with the pencil, or maybe it's simply the ego-driven nature that is often seen in the entertainment business across the board.

One of the many criticisms of All Elite Wrestling, some of which have merit and others that don't, is that some talent would more or less completely disappear with little to no explanation. For anyone that ends up on the Ring Of Honor project, it offers less exposure than the witness protection program so of the very bloated roster, there are many that are flown to television, appear in front of the smaller audiences in the building, but that the vast majority of the All Elite viewing audience wouldn't know that they even had a match because they weren't on Dynamite.

Beyond that, there are also those that are simply a healthy scratch from the AEW line-up. Some competitors are being paid by Tony Khan as a part of their All Elite contract, but he doesn't have anything scripted for them so they stay home, get the check, and are essentially on ice until Tony has something for them to do on the show.

One example of this is cult favorite, Danhausen, who inked a deal in 2022, but hasn't appeared for the company in almost a year. He had previously suffered a torn pec, but even after he recovered from the injury, he only worked on the independent circuit this year. He's undoubtedly healthy, as he continues to wrestle outside of AEW, but it seems rather wasteful to keep him under contract if Tony has no use for him. That's not to say that Danhausen is the next Steve Austin in terms of drawing power, but rather to point out that even niche performers have been put on ice while under a contract.

Another example, and arguably someone with a bigger mainstream upside is, "Absolute" Ricky Starks, who had an injury scare in March, but was cleared to compete. However, that was the last time that he was booked for AEW and he has only worked two matches since then, with the most recent being an independent bout last weekend. Starks has done a few interviews where he explained that he was healthy and had a little communication with the company, but wasn't given a reason why he wasn't used for anything for the rest of the year.

In terms of pettiness, I always find it amazing that, similar to the CM Punk situation, that you hear these stories that the talent can't get an answer from the company that they work for so they have to take it to a public forum to get some type of answer. In my opinion, it speaks volumes to the lack of leadership and structure if a wrestler has to speculate about their status with a national organization on a random podcast.

That being said, Ricky Starks resurfaced in the pro wrestling world last weekend at GCW's "Dream On" event, a show that was held in the afternoon on the same day as the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view to capitalize on the influx of fans that would be in the New Jersey area. The event itself had a cool look, as it was held at a mall and had a visual that looked similar to the Mall of America episode of Nitro. Starks cut a promo and basically it was used as a way to set up that he would be a part of the GCW roster, with it later announced that it would be Starks vs. Matt Cardona at a future event.

However, the buzz of Starks' surprise appearence would only last a few days when it was announced that AEW decided to cancel Starks from his scheduled GCW appearances. While All Elite talent are allowed to take outside bookings, those appearances are subject to AEW approval. Supposedly, AEW management made the decision to cancel Starks from GCW events based on comments Effy made on his podcast about Shad Khan, Tony's dad, funding All Elite Wrestling so that he wasn't involved in the football team that the family owns, the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Obviously, it's well-known that without coming from a billionaire family, Tony Khan wouldn't be the booker of the second-largest pro wrestling company in the United States. At the same time, for Effy to mention Tony's dad and speculate about specifically why he funded a wrestling project seems a little personal.  The perceived beef between the two sides stems from the fact that after GCW announced its return to the Hammerstein Ballroom, the famous venue that held ECW and ROH events in its heyday, it was announced that Tony's version of Ring Of Honor would present its Final Battle pay-per-view from the same location a few weeks earlier.

On the surface, it might seem like AEW is trying to undercut Game Changer Wrestling by holding its pay-per-view there, but I have to be honest, I think it's probably more of a coincidence than anything else. The original ROH held events, including Final Battle at the venue in the past so it's not completely out of nowhere that the brand would run the building. At the same time, it does at least theoretically make things a little more difficult for GCW if fans are put in the position to financially have to choose between the two shows. There's economic uncertainty and inflation in terrible so financial constraints are a legitimate concern.

This might not be the most provocative take on this situation, but all things considered, GCW and AEW at odds doesn't do anything to help either promotion or the pro wrestling industry as a whole. In many ways, GCW tries to position itself in a similar fashion as the original ECW in terms of being a bridge between the major leagues, and as a way for talent to be discovered. Thankfully, Game Changer has all of the lessons of what not to do from the original ECW to try to avoid some of the same pitfalls. More than anything, Game Changer understands its position, it's an independent organization, an independent with a bigger reach than most, but still an independent. They aren't going to attempt to compete with AEW or WWE, and they don't have to, they've found a profitable niche that also serves a purpose for the industry.

When Jon Moxley was AEW and GCW champion simultaneously, it was a boost for Game Changer because they had a world champion of a national promotion as their titleholder and at the same time, it gave All Elite somewhat of an edge as the alternative to WWE since you'd never see the WWE champion work an independent show.

GCW owner, Brett Lauderdale somewhat downplayed the situation in recent comments, explaining that Effy is his own person and he doesn't speak for GCW. At this point, what else is Lauderdale going to do? He isn't going to win a verbal sparring match with a billionaire, as it won't help his company, and he has a point, he's not in control of what Effy or anyone else on the GCW roster says in public.

The pettiness of the whole situation is that All Elite Wrestling is keeping Starks under contract with seemingly no plans to use him for anything, other than that they probably don't want to have the perception of another former AEW talent that goes to WWE and becomes a much bigger star in the process. A realistic look at the situation, Starks is a talented guy and probably too talented to just sit at home so if they aren't going to book him for anything, why not just release him? Even if he ends up with a WWE contract, does anyone think that Starks is going to main event Wrestlemania? Don't get me wrong, if Starks actually does go to WWE, I think he could be successful there, but it's doubtful that he will be the next Roman Reigns. So other than throwing money away on his contract, and we know that money is no object for Tony Khan, what exactly is the point of keeping Starks under contract or preventing him from working for GCW?

Look, Starks working for GCW wasn't going to boost Game Changer itself, but it was another aspect that added to the reputation of the organization as a bridge so to speak, which gives them something unique to promote for the brand. If Tony Khan has learned anything from being a promoter in the past five years, hopefully, he realized that wrestling fans aren't going to feel bad for a billionaire. If All Elite blocks talent from GCW, it gives the impression that the billionaire is punching down on the little engine that could organization. At the same time, GCW can't overplay its hand because quite frankly, they will need access to some AEW talent in the future to keep their shows fresh. Hopefully, there's some type of compromise in the future because right now, it seems like this could be a lose-lose situation for everyone involved since it wouldn't help either company.

CM Punk on Smackdown

 Simple, but effective.

For as much analysis and arm-chair quarterback discussion that professional wrestling is the subject of, and there's nothing wrong with that, it's part of what keeps the business compelling, not to mention keep a few dozen podcast in business, the narratives that are often most successful in terms of box office are simple, but effective.

The reason for it is also simple, the genre is based on human psychology, and regardless of the road that the booker takes to get to the destination, an over baby face against a heel with heat can draw money. Of course, in the modern era there are exponentially more aspects to take into consideration. The WWE machine churns out countless hours of content to satisfy their TV contracts, the newest one that will start in January for Netflix is an unprecedented move for the industry, as well as the amount of live events on the calendar that necessitate a drawing card to bring fans into the building at a time when WWE ticket prices are at a peak. The international markets, merchandise, the developmental system, building the next generation of stars, and every other portion of a global publicly-traded corporation must be taken into account with the direction of WWE programming.

Still, the bottom line is, a compelling storyline with a baby face that the crowd is invested in, and a heel that has heat is the foundation of the ability to draw money.

As mentioned, the WWE machine has to produce live television every week, and while it's not realistically possible to hit a home run 52 weeks a year for both Raw and Smackdown, the task of management is to give the audience a reason to tune in each week to see how the angles unfold for the product.

The best example of this is the current Bloodline storyline that is building toward this weekend's Survivor Series pay-per-view with a War Games match scheduled between the two Bloodline factions. One of the many reasons that this angle has been so successful for the WWE is that it continues to use the cache of Roman Reigns' historic title reign to add importance to the current feud. There's a background and a history that the fans have followed in some form or fashion for more than four years as far as the genesis of The Bloodline faction so there's a built-in investment from the audience to follow the direction that the stable takes within the WWE landscape, particularly a Samoan showdown to determine what side of the Samoan group will continue to be a force within the company.

Roman's incredible return to the company at Summer Slam and the reaction that it received from the live crowd was a memorable moment that will be etched into the history books. However, it also provided a completely new chapter for the Bloodline angle, as it was time for Roman to have a legitimate top guy run as a baby face after he evolved into the best version of his character as a heel the few years prior. After such an extended and record-setting title reign, a baby face persona allowed Roman to get a fresh coat of paint upon his WWE presentation. Sure, he dropped the championship to Cody Rhodes, but let's be honest here, Roman has reached a level that he more or less cemented himself as a top guy that doesn't need the championship to maintain that status. John Cena and CM Punk are two other examples of drawing cards that don't need the title to bring a level of importance to what they booked for on the shows.

By nature, the WWE product is episodic, not just because it involves the continuation of specific characters over the course of several years, but also because as mentioned, the office has to give the fans a reason to tune into the show every week. Again, one of the many reasons that the Bloodline angle has been so successful for the WWE is that it brings with it that aspect of episodic programming each week, particularly with the build to War Games. Obviously, we've seen the addition of the Toganas and Jacob Fatu this year to set up the formation of Solo Sikoa's group, which were key pieces of the puzzle to continue the storyline. However, just within the past few weeks on Smackdown, Bronson Reed and Sami Zayn added to their respective teams were important aspects of the storyline and thus a reason for the fans to watch the Friday show. Similar to some of the other portions of the angle, Sami's involvement uses his previous association with The Bloodline from Roman's heel run as champion. Furthermore, Bronson Reed is being pushed as a monster on Raw so he's not just there to get the Sokia team to five wrestlers for the War Games situation, he brings a level of credibility as a monster based on the current push.

Finally, and this might be the biggest piece of the puzzle that was added on last week's episode of Smackdown, Paul Heyman returns and brings with him the final member of Roman's team, CM Punk. Solo Sikoa took out Paul Heyman, which was impactful because a wrestler rarely got their hands on him, and furthermore, I don't think anyone expected him to take a power bomb through the table. As I've written for the past several years, the former leader of extreme is the best talker in the business and he can sell a match better than just about anyone in the modern era so the return of Heyman itself was enough to add another level of sizzle to the War Games bout. When he brings in CM Punk, a Paul Heyman guy earlier in his career, it makes the cage match at Survivor Series an all-star segment.

The logic is there because Punk would naturally want revenge against Solo for the attack on his mentor, and both he and Roman have the common background of Heyman as a manger during their championship runs. Keep in mind, there were pieces added to keep the storyline fresh and relevant along the way, but the entire concept of this angle was the fact that Solo wanted to takeover The Bloodline from Roman Reigns. Roman is majorly over as a top guy, and the fans were ready to see him as a baby face after his return at Summer Slam. Solo Sikoa attacked Jey Uso, Paul Heyman, and  formed his own Bloodline to try to dispose of Reigns to get heat from the audience.

The War Games match has over baby faces against over heels with something at stake based on the result of the match. The future of The Bloodline and who can claim to be the "true tribal chief" will be determined at Survivor Series so there's a selling point for the event. There are reasons for the audience to be invested in the characters and the results of the main event of the pay-per-view, which is exactly how to draw money.

Full Gear review

All Elite Wrestling presented its latest pay-per-view offering, Full Gear, an event that I wrote an article about earlier this week in terms of selling the show to the audience, is in the books. Depending on your perspective, the PPV delivered where expected, and also misses where expected.

The tag team opener was fun for what it was. It was difficult to build specific momentum with four teams involved and just 12 minutes given to the segment so this was basically a high spot spirit of a bunch of moves, which is fine if this was designed to kickoff the event. The crowd was energetic for this bout, and when Private Party landed their finisher to retain the belts, there was a solid reaction to the finish. Still, I think a lot more work needs to be done to get Private Party into the position where they are marketable stars for the organization. For way too long they were overlooked and underutilized so this sudden jump into the title picture won't be enough on its own to establish them. This bout was booked more or less to shoehorn as many wrestlers on the card as possible so hopefully, Private Party can get a storyline with some substance to solidify them in the future. They have the talent, but definitely need to be presented in the right fashion to be considered a top team in the company. A feud with FTR could be very helpful if highlighting Private Party is a priority for AEW management.

As much as the crowd was energetic for the opener, they were also equally as quiet for Roderick Strong/MJF that followed it. Don't get me wrong, this was quality pro wrestling, everything they did was crisp and smooth, but this was also a textbook example of misguided booking. As I wrote previously, the argument could be made that the audience has minimal interest in anything further between Adam Cole and MJF after the reveal last year flopped so there was barely any interest in a match only designed to build up the confrontation mentioned prior. MJF vs. Strong would've been a tremendous television main event, especially considering that TV is obviously used to build the pay-per-views, but in this setting, the audience just didn't care because the result was obvious without anything at stake. The feud is between MJF and Cole, not Strong so what exactly, beyond Tony's flimsy explanation with disjointed booking on Dynamite, was the point of this match on pay-per-view? Rodrick Strong is as consistent as anyone in terms of quality bouts and one of the best utility workers in the business, but he was positioned as a lame duck in this angle so the crowd just didn't care about the segment. MJF won, and unfortunately, the storyline with Cole looks like it will continue on AEW programming.

The crowd was still mostly quiet for the TBS title match, particularly because Mercedes Mone hasn't been known to rejuvenate the crowds so far in her AEW tenure. That being said, this match built really well and by the midpoint in the contest, the audience followed the action. This became a really solid contest and arguably the best match Mone has had since she debuted in the company. Kris Statlander deserves a lot of credit for someone that was put into a relatively brief feud, but was able to create a few occasions where it looked like the title might change hands. The back and fourth action with a series of counters allowed for peaks and valleys that translated to an entertaining segment. Mercedes retained the title with a flash pin, which was smart since kick outs are often telegraphed in AEW.

Adam Page vs. Jay White was solid, but I have to be honest, I expected a little more from this contest. If I had to pick the specific aspect that took away from the match, it was the extended time outside of the ring that slowed the segment down and prevent any true momentum to be built for a portion of the segment. That being said, there was a brilliant series of counters that led to the finish when White landed the Blade Runner for the victory. This was given 20 minutes, but in the grand scheme of things, it went about five minute too long. Unfortunately, Full Gear fell into one of the misguided Tony Khan booking tropes of using a copy and paste format of 20 minutes for most matches on the card without the consideration of if those bouts should've been given 20 minutes or if the angle justified that time frame.

Next up, Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher had a 25-minute dazzling spot fest, and for the All Elite audience, this was exactly what they look for in a pay-per-view bout. It was total fire works with high spots and risky bumps. There was sporadic selling and minimal overall psychology, which depending on your perspective either added to or completely hindered the presentation. The athleticism was incredible, but after someone takes a tombstone from the apron to the steel steps and then a pile driver in the ring, it just jumps the shark when they not only kick out, but then land a few more high impact maneuvers. I understand why Tony put Fletcher over, but I'd still say it was the wrong decision. In my opinion, everything that Ospreay is involved in should be designed to push him as the franchise guy of the company, and anything outside of that is counterproductive. Still, this had every daring maneuver in the book and it was tailored to the All Elite audience.

The downside of throwing everything but the kitchen sink on-screen for Ospreay/Fletcher is that it becomes very difficult for anyone else on the card to follow it after the audience, both viewing at home and in the building, just saw an entire encyclopedia of moves done over the course of one segment. Daniel Garcia/Jack Perry was fine, nothing spectacular, but nothing terrible either. However, it seemed rather ordinary after the previous high spot bout. Garcia won the title, but with Perry in a lame duck position, I'm not sure how much cache the title win will bring for Garcia. Another match that fell into the same category was Ricochet vs. Konosuke Takeshita because it was essentially a lesser version of the Ospreay/Fletcher match that the crowd saw about 30 minutes earlier. I don't know if Ricochet and the Japanese star fell short of expectations or if it was a situation where most of what they did was a retread because of how many spots the Ospreay/Fletcher segment had. Takeshita retained the title.

Bobby Lashley beat Swerve Strickland in a rather basic match, but it was solid for what it was. The double stomp through the announce table was a highlight of the match. Lashley won with the Hurt Lock submission, and there wasn't anything wrong with this match, but it was at this point of the four-hour marathon show that it becomes a very tedious viewing experience, especially after some matches went longer than they should've so the broadcast dragged at a few points.

I'm probably being too pessimistic when I say this, but in my honest opinion, the main event was 20 minutes of fluff. Nobody in the building or watching the pay-per-view believed that Orange Cassidy was going to win the title, especially after the seeds were already planted for a Darby Allin/Moxley bout for the title. The match wasn't terrible, but there was no drama or anticipation because the comedy guy was miscast in the main event role. The run-ins almost emphasized how out of place Cassidy was as the challenger because a slew of directionless mid-cards were there to even the odds against Moxley's group. So, it was no surprise when Moxley won, but everything for the post-match segment was bizarre and fell flat. They could've had something with the Christian cash-in, even though it would've been against a heel, at least it could've given the show a spark before the conclusion. Adam Page's cameo was odd and the same can be said for Jay White's random appearence. The crowd seemed to be confused, as the arena was mostly quiet, and it's still puzzling what exactly Tony was trying to accomplish with this segment. Darby hitting the truck with his car isn't exactly a major way to go off the air since the heels left without any confrontation and Moxley is still the champion.

Did AEW sell Full Gear?

Tomorrow night, All Elite Wrestling presents Full Gear from Newark, New Jersey, and a glance at the nine-match main card and the television to promote the card, have me wondering, why exactly is the selling point of this pay-per-view with a $50 price tag? This is where the details of the new television deal, which include some components to the Max streaming platform, are important. The reason that I point this out is that if this card was offered at a cheaper rate on a streaming service, any discussion about the sizzle to substance ratio would probably be moot.

However, this is still the traditional pay-per-view format, and one of the pitfalls I discussed when Tony Khan began to expand the AEW PPV calendar to monthly events was that it would be increasing difficult to book cards that justify the hefty price tag in the modern era. Keep in mind, outside of the UFC schedule and a few select boxing cards a year, traditional pay-per-view, particularly within the world of sports entertainment, is almost an antiquated concept. The vast majority of pro wrestling fans have been conditioned for more than a decade to pay $9.99, $4.99, or even in some cases there was a period of time when The WWE Network was included with a subscription to Peacock to watch the signature events of the year within the industry.

Sure, it's possible that you can sell fans a $50 pro wrestling card in the modern era, All Elite Wrestling has proven that, because while their television audience has eroded, the core group of around 100,000 fans will pay continuously for the pay-per-views, which increased based on the specifics of a card.

Still, you have to wonder when even that core number will slip if there's not enough meat on the bone in terms of progress within the company. Full Gear, similar to many other All Elite PPV cards, should have some spectacular in-ring action, but the storyline portion of the show, also similar to many other AEW pay-per-view cards, is lacking, at least on the surface. Remember, there are dazzling spot fests on Dynamite on a regular basis, does the audience have to pay $50 to watch more high spot wrestling?

The sizzle/substance ration that I mentioned earlier is really key here because as is usually the trend with AEW programming, there has been such a disjointed approach to Dynamite recently that nothing truly stands out as "must see" for the Full Gear event.

The Roderick Strong/MJF bout should be solid in the ring, but what's the point? The entire angle of the Undisputed Kingdom reforming with a focus on MJF is just bizarre. Remember that MJF was actually the baby face in the reveal storyline last year? Furthermore, if there's a group of baby faces against one heel, isn't that a conflicting narrative because it technically portrays MJF as the underdog since the odds are against him? Finally, why in the wide world of sports would Tony Khan book ANYTHING as a reference to, let alone a continuation of a storyline that completely flopped last year? As I've written several times, the goal should've been to get Cole and MJF, both individually and collectively, as far away from any reminder of the failed devil mask reveal as possible. I get that the premise is that it will probably eventually lead to a Cole vs. MJF match, but does anyone want to see that? I say that with the full acknowledgement that they are two of the most talented guys on the roster, but again, nobody wants to be reminded of the angle that was panned in 2023. MJF is currently filming a movie so his participation in the angle will be minimal, and Adam Cole isn't even on the card so how is this getting anyone over?

While nobody cares about the result of MJF/Roderick Strong, especially because it's not the focal point of the feud, that is still MJF vs. Cole, the same can be said for the TNT title match. I get that they are trying to sell Jack Perry vs. Daniel Garcia as a grudge match on television, but this is a storyline where the disjointed portions of the program make it too murky for the fans to be invested. Perry, and much of his reign as TNT champion, was involved with The Young Bucks, who abruptly left TV. Presumably, this is to repackage them as baby faces to combat Jon Moxley's rouge group, but until that happens, it leaves Perry rather directionless, specifically because his return to the company several months ago was based on an alliance with The Bucks. Listen, we've heard that Daniel Garcia got paid major money to re-sign with All Elite, and good for him, that's the entire point of the business to make as much money as possible, but nothing that Tony has booked for him as allowed him to evolve as a character. Even if he wins the TNT title this weekend, he beat a heel that has no direction and minimal heat anyway.

On the other side of the coin, they are a few bouts that should be absolutely tremendous and give the viewers their money's worth, even if there isn't a major storyline behind them. Despite the fact that Adam Page has flipped from heel to baby face too many times for the crowd to have the chance to invest in his character, he can go bell-to-bell. Jay White had somewhat of a lackluster baby face turn, at least within the context of this feud, but where does that put his stablemates? Are they all baby faces now? Regardless, Jay White is a top-notch performer inside the ring ropes, and quite frankly, hasn't been given nearly the opportunity to be a major star as compared to the talent that he brings to the table. I understand that money talks, and that New Japan simply can't compete with Tony's offers, but Khan took a top guy in New Japan that proved he had the skills to be a top star, and reduced him to a mid-card tag team act. That being said, from a pure in-ring perspective, Page/White should be a great contest that provides some substance to the card. The same can be said for the International title bout of Konosuke Takeshita vs. Ricochet because, depending on the criteria you want to use, the argument could be made that Takeshita is the best performer in terms of consistent quality in the business right now. It will be another dazzling spot fest on the card, but the difference is that this will be a spot fest at the highest level as far as performance, which is why it will stand out on the card. I'd expect much of the same will be said about Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher, but I think they will probably fall into a few of the typical bad habits that make a segment look too overly choreographed. I understand that there's a storyline behind Ospreay/Fletcher, and I could be wrong, but it seems like the audience still views Fletcher as just a former sidekick from Ospreay's career prior to AEW. Nothing against Fletcher, but the priority should be establishing Ospreay as potentially the franchise star of the company, not trying to get his former sidekick over with the audience. Regardless, in terms of quality, those three bouts should be highlights of the pay-per-view.

The four-way tag team match is a usual Tony booking trope to shoehorn as many wrestlers onto the card as possible, and will probably be more of a traffic jam than a compelling segment. Mercedes Mone, particularly with her promo on Dynamite this week that barely got a reaction, is one of the most underwhelming acts in the entire industry. After she arrived in AEW earlier this year, her mic work has been subpar and her matches have been sloppy. Kris Statlander probably has the talent to be a more featured star in the division, but it seems like she's just booked for this to give Mercedes and opponent.

I'd expect Bobby Lashley vs. Swerve Strickland to be a solid match, although I'm not sure if it will be the contest that the fans are hoping for on this particular card. Lashley just made his debut so it will be unwise for him to take a defeat, but Swerve hasn't been made to look too strong recently so it's possible this could be a one-sided match to set up a rematch next month.

Technically, the main event is supposed to be the biggest selling point of a pay-per-view, but all things considered, I don't think that's realistically the case for Full Gear. The entire Moxley takeover of the company seems forced and almost like the stable is trying too hard to be an updated version of the NWO from more than 25 years ago. Moxley's cryptic promos to start the angle implied that there was something bigger on the horizon, but so far, it's just a rather flat beat down of mid-card talent most weeks on Dynamite. As I've written before, it's not his fault, but Moxley has been overexposed in AEW. He carried the company when they needed a star to step up in the role as champion, but at this point, does Moxley really need to be the champion for a fourth time?

Finally, as much as he has a cult following and has displayed talent in the ring, the Orange Cassidy character just isn't the wrestler to book to challenge the rogue champion. The comedy stuff has a place on the card and as mentioned Cassidy is a talented performer, but the promo segments on Dynamite have been cringe worthy. The audience can't take it seriously when the guy that was pure comedy for the past five years immediately gets scripted to potentially win the title from the rouge heel in the company.

Kevin Owens on Smackdown

"People will believe until you give them a reason to disbelieve" -"Dirty" Dutch Mantel

 "I can't make them believe wrestling is real, but I can make them believe I'm real" -Johnny Valentine

Those quotes go hand-in-hand, as they each involve the ability to invoke genuine emotion within the pro wrestling business to draw, which is the entire point of the industry. The genre, which originated from the carnival circuit, uses character and storylines to connect with the audience. The ability to get the crowd to identify with the baby face, particularly to conquer a villain with heat, is a formula that has worked for decades. Sure, the narrative can take many different forms, but at the end of the day, if the audience believes in the baby face, they will flock to the box office to support him.

As you peel back the layers of the onion, more details can be revealed as far as why something works well and why other pitches to the crowd are panned. For example, The Ultimate Warrior got really over with the audience for a relatively short time. Yes, the colorful presentation and the intensity were tremendous, bur beyond that superficial level, the crowd couldn't connect with the rambling nonsensical promos, which is why his title reign was brief, especially compared to the expectations he had as the next top star after Hulk Hogan. On the flip side, the most famous example is probably "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, which allowed him to become the biggest star in the history of the business. Sure, the vast majority of the audience of the Attitude era knew what they were watching in the ring was a show, and maybe those trademark sloppy stomps in the corner didn't quite connect every time, but it was fun and entertaining every time the crowd had the chance to see Austin on Monday Night Raw.

That's where such an important distinction is made, the audience didn't have to believe everything about pro wrestling was real, they just had to fully believe and thus be fully invested in the Stone Cold character for the company to draw major money. It was easy for the audience to do because they saw a wild Texan stomping and drinking beer on television, and the real-life Steve Austin didn't go around beating up his boss, but he actually is a red neck from Texas that reflects a lot of similarities to his character. When it's easy for the performer to portray their character, it's just as easy for the audience to connect with them.

That's why, as I wrote about Vikingo's injury recently, that maybe there were too many risks taken to the point that it doesn't have the same effect it once did on the narrative, but still presents the same level of actual danger to the performers. The cruiser weight division in WCW brought dazzling spot fests to national television, the X-Division in TNA was an evolution of that style in many ways, and All Elite Wrestling has more high spot wrestling on main stream television than any other time in history.

Of course, the Attitude era itself had a lot to do with pushing the envelope too far in terms of too many high-risk bumps and the concept of crash TV that moved the shows so fast that eventually more risks were used to keep the viewers from changing the channel. Still, the modern era has move dives, more major bumps, and ultimately, more risks that any other time in the history of the business. The fact that the injury rate is so high on the AEW roster, or that many of the New Japan veterans had such a toll taken on their bodies is proof of that.

That's why I was pleasantly surprised to see the pile driver, a move that was legitimately banned by the WWE for several years, used as a serious maneuver on Smackdown a few weeks ago when Kevin Owens used it on Randy Orton. The fact that the move is rarely ever seen on WWE programming in the modern era made the occasion stand out, but the fact that Orton was put into an ambulance afterward maximized the effectiveness of it.

While I doubt that the WWE could put the toothpaste back in the tube so to speak on recapturing the seriousness that many devastating moves once had, if they continue to protect the credibility of select maneuvers like that pile driver, they might be able to get more modern fans to invest in that seriousness, and thus have more to work with when the writing team scripts angles. If management continues to protect the credibility of the pile driver then in a few years, it's something in the tool box that they could use to add another level of intensity to a feud. Reportedly, Kevin Owens will challenge Cody Rhodes for the WWE championship at some point to give Rhodes someone to work with before Wrestlemania season, and the entire premise of that storyline, even if Owens isn't slotted to win the title, would be to make him seem a credible threat to the title. If the challenger doesn't have a realistic chance to win the belt from the audience's perspective then it's just another match on the card.

Granted, Owens is being used in the role that he was mostly used for previously in his career, he's great at making his opponents look good so he will work with Cody the same way he worked with Roman Reigns earlier in his title run because he can make the champion look strong. That being said, the fact remains that the office will have to make him look like a dangerous threat to the title to sell the potential championship match so in this scenario, the pile driver was used as the move to emphasis how dangerous of a character he is on the show.

Again, I'm not saying that pro wrestling can go back to throwing someone over the top rope being perceived as a career-ending situation, but the ability to maximize what is done during a match or an angle should always be a priority, especially because that can theoretically maximize the amount of money it draws for the company.

Unfortunately, in many ways, the horse has left the barn. The audience has seen too much and been exposed to too much behind-the-scenes for some of the most basic, but most effective tactics, to be used in pro wrestling again. But as I said, I think there are certain aspects of the industry, with the pile driver being an example, that can be used effectively again since it was so long ago that it was a part of WWE programming. Speaking of the pile driver, a perfect example of something being overused and thus losing its effectiveness in the modern era is the Canadian destroyer. Despite being invented by Scott D'Amore, it was Petey Williams that made the move famous, and sadly he became typecast with the move, with the rest of his stellar skills often ignored. When Petey brought the move to TNA in the early-2000s, it was one of the most devastating moves that wrestling fans had ever seen, and the reaction for it was always incredible. Fast forward two decades and there are often multiple Canadian destroyers used in matches during AEW shows as just another move during a spot fest. So, maybe it's time for the pro wrestling industry as a whole to elevate not only the amount of risks taken within a match, but also how those risks should be perceived by the audience because protecting the credibility of a maneuver can add another level of intensity to a storyline.

The career of Bobby Piskor

More than 23 years ago, a 15-year-old freshman in high school found himself in Weirton, West Virginia with a bundle of nervous energy, as it was the first time that he stepped foot into a professional wrestling ring for an official match at an official event as a referee. Under the banner of an alphabet soup organization, he put down the count for a bout to decide what was dubbed the "Inner City Championship." That 15-year-old had no idea that the first three count that he put down would be the start of a journey that would shape the rest of his life. Between the stripes as an official, and eventually his boots as a wrestler, the sport took Bobby Piskor from his hometown in western, Pennsylvania zigzagging through several states, across the country to the west coast, and even around the globe to England.

It all started with that first three count on May 26, 2001. However, Piskor, affectionately known as "Potter" for his striking resemblance to the JK Rowling character, will hit the canvas for the final three count of his referee career on December 7th of this year, wrapping up his final in-ring participation after almost a quarter of a century.

"Being a referee you have the best seat in the house. As a long time wrestling fan, I absolutely love being so close to the action. Being a referee taught me so much. A good referee can really add to a match, and a bad referee can really take away from a great match.  I really enjoyed being involved in the ring for as long as I have," Bobby explained.

Throughout the more than two decades that Piskor has been involved in the grappling arts, he shared the ring with countless national stars and a myriad of legends. Names like AJ Styles, Christopher Daniels, Samoa Joe, Low Ki, Tracy Smothers, La Parka, Mistico, Chris Sabin, and Alex Shelley are just some of those that he had the chance to stand alongside between the ring ropes. Still, he found that jumping in for the dramatic pin fall attempt and several years as an active wrestler, especially over the course of such a long tenure in the industry, made his decision to step away from the ring a little easier.

"I have been refereeing for 23 years straight. My body is not the same as it was when I began in 2001. I have accomplished so many things and shared the ring with so many legends. I have nothing left to prove anymore. I am 38 years old. I do not see WWE or AEW in my future as a referee," Piskor remarked.

However, that doesn't mean that Bobby plans to wind down his pro wrestling career. In fact, Bobby's decision to retire the stripes has a lot to do with his duties already outside the ring. He's currently one of the head organizers behind-the-scenes at the International Wrestling Cartel, one of the most well-known and longest-running groups in the area. Originally founded by radio personality and grappler, Bubba The Bulldog in 2001 before it was promoted for several years under the direction of "Notorious" Norm Connors, who is regarded as the godfather of Pittsburgh independent wrestling, IWC brought a plethora of stars to the steel city over the years. Ownership would change at points in time, but Justin Plummer, who broke into the industry as a video host for the organization, has promoted the brand successful during the past decade.

Given his vast amount of knowledge and experience, Bobby was asked to join the management team in recent years, and his duties within the company also expanded when he became one of the head trainers at the Iron City Wrestling Academy school for aspiring hopefuls that wanted to pursue the sport. It was undoubtedly a hefty responsibility, but with his lofty passion for the industry, Bobby knew that it was another avenue to contribute to the business that had given so much to him.

"When I was first asked to be a part of the IWC creative team, I knew I would be disliked. Booking is a thankless job.  But it also can be the most rewarding.  Many times I have seen one of my ideas from paper turn into reality, and then go off better than expected.  Not everything we plan is a slam dunk.  I felt like my strong points were attention to detail.  I love subtle Easter eggs that were planted early on," he said.

Aside from the increase in professional responsibilities outside of the ring, which include meetings to determine the direction of events, making sure everything runs smoothly during the course of those live events, and of course, the planning stages for the next presentation, Bobby had to take personal circumstances into account when he decided to downsize his pro wrestling check list.

Tragically, his brother Ed Piskor, critically-acclaimed comic book artist with a global fan following for his work in the traditional printed pages, as well as digital media online, including the extremely popularly Youtube show Cartoonist Kayfabe, passed away suddenly earlier this year at the age of just 41. Since he received the tragic news in early April that his brother passed away, Bobby has taken the time to prioritize his well being, including a focus on his mental health as a part of the healing process.

 "This year has been a difficult year for my family and I. My brother unfortunately passed away at a young age of 41. It really took a toll on my mental health," Bobby explained.

Aside from taking the time to care for his own mental health, Piskor expanded his tool belt, taking up the craft of photography when he wasn't in the ring to officiate the action. Some of his candid photos of IWC events have been highlights on social media.

"For the last year or so I have been dabbling with photography. I will pop up here and there when I am around to take photos. I have always been creative, and It will give me another notch on my already full belt. I have been around pro wrestling for 25 years, so I'd like to think I know what I am looking at which gives me an edge," Piskor commented.

So, from that nervous 15-year-old in Weirton when he still wasn't old enough to drive, to the family man that is regarded as one of the most accomplished veterans of the Pittsburgh area as a member of the management team of one of the region's longest-running companies, Bobby Piskor will make the final three-count as an in-ring participant on December 7th in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. He won't be as close to the action or get the energy from the crowd quite as much since he will step away from the ring, but the closure of a chapter that he started more than 23 years ago will be just another chapter in his story of a lifetime in the pro wrestling business. Bobby will still be there with pen and paper in hand to organize from behind the curtain, and he will still be there catching the action shots with his camera.

"I'm not sure what it will be like to make the final three count. It will be emotional, to say the least," Bobby concluded.

The career of Axel Law

Sports fans love a comeback story.

Nothing exemplified this more than when more than 70,000 fans flocked to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas just to see the legendary "Iron" Mike Tyson step back into the ring for the first time in more than two decades for an official pro fight. Netflix, the streaming platform that hosted the fight, infamously had issues with the broadcast throughout the night right up until the main event based on the sheer amount of viewers that tuned into the event, despite the company's expertise within the streaming world.

Yes, there's no doubt that sport fans love a good comeback story.

The genre of professional wrestling, which other sports often mimic to generate box office, is also very familiar with the concept of the comeback story. Regardless of it's within the context of a match when the hero rallies from behind to conquer the villain for the three count, or when the audience gets the chance to see a legend lace up the boots for one more run, there's nothing like a comeback in sports entertainment, a business that originated on the carnival circuit several decades ago.

As thrilling as the iconic Terry Funk's countless returns were around the globe throughout his nearly 50-year career, not all comeback stories have to have an international flare. Instead, a comeback story can take place much closer to home.

Earlier this month, as a part of my duties as one of the commentators for Ryse Wrestling, a blue collar league based in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, an even more blue collar town just south of Pittsburgh, I arrived early to get the chance to catch up with Gregory Iron, who I originally met more than 16 years previously. Iron, a standout independent performer with a form of Cerebral Palsy that affects the use of one of his hands, was brought into the Stronghold Academy, Ryse Wrestling's training center, to run a seminar for the students at the school. The academy is anchored by co-head trainers, longtime veterans, Brandon K and Dean Radford. In an effort to bring their students a variety of knowledge and experience, the 18-year veteran Iron was invited to host a seminar to allow the aspiring youngsters to pick his brain with questions that ranged from character development to ring psychology.

Over the course of more than three hours that the rookies asked questions, I was occasionally asked to throw my two cents in on some topics from a broadcast prospective. The school is located in the same mall complex near where live events are hosted, and the training space also features a full weight room to go along with the squared circle. During the course of the seminar, it caught my eye that someone was pumping some major iron for a majority of it. 

Emerging from a weight machine, wearing a pair of wireless headphones and drenched in sweat was Pittsburgh independent standout from the late-90s and early-2000s, Axel Law, a wild man that made his reputation as an over-the-top grappler when the rowdy style of hardcore wrestling was en vogue.

I knew of the name and reputation through Pittsburgh indy lore, and had a chance to briefly talk to him at the prior month's event, but wanted to get the chance to have a conversation after the seminar finished before everyone would be busy with that night's event.

To my surprise, the 55-year-old former grappler wasn't just exercising to stay in shape, he was preparing himself for a comeback to the ring.

Ironically, Axel started wrestling long before many of the aspiring rookies in the building were even born, breaking into the business in April of 1996 under the Penn Atlantic Wrestling banner. At a time when the wrestling wars of the 90s were just starting to cook on cable television, Law's debut bout was slightly less glamorous, as he was defeated by an opponent named "Luscious" Lucas in about five minutes at a tiny venue in Glassport, Pennsylvania.

"My trainers there were Guido and Frankie Corleone, and Sniper. But, I am and always have been a student of the game. I am always learning with every person I get in the ring with. Working in the 90s was a little bit crazy. ECW was doing their thing, and hardcore wrestling was really on the up rise as far as popularity. The only problem with that was, you were always trying to out crazy the last match," Axel explained.

Considering that when Law was in elementary school, he and his pals would put broomsticks into the ground and string some rope around them to complete a homemade ring to emulate their favorite stars of the Rock N' Wrestling era of the 80s, the chance for him to pursue a career inside an actual squared circle years later was considered a dream come true.

However, that career path was a catch-22 in many ways for him, as the popularity of hardcore wrestling in the era had its positives and negatives in terms of its impact on his wrestling journey. As mentioned, wild matches and a unique charisma gained him a following around the Pittsburgh circuit, as he zigzagged around western, Pennsylvania at a time when pro wrestling surged in popularity at all levels so audiences from different organizations anticipated his arrival to the ring.

Unfortunately, the same style that garnered him a cult following would ultimately cut his career drastically short.

Just four and a half years into his stint as a professional wrestler, he suffered a broken neck during a bout in October 2000, The injury was serve enough to require neck fusion surgery in early January of 2001, putting him on the shelf for almost the entire year. But, too dedicated and too passionate toward the sports entertainment game, he became a player on the local scene again after he returned to the ring, winning championships and being involved in memorable feuds throughout the Pittsburgh region in the few years that followed.

"I consider one of my biggest highlights coming back from breaking my neck to become the very first NWA East X champion. My multiple feuds with Bison, always ending in a hardcore match because we battled at a lot of different promotions back in the day," Law explained.

The injury bug would bite Axel again in 2005 after a series of chair shots, and after dodging a bullet once with the ability to recover from a broken neck to wrestle again, he knew that the injury scare meant that he had a tough decision to make about the pursuit that he brought him joy from the time that he put those broomsticks in his yard to emulate his favorite stars as a kid.

"My last match was at Callaghan’s night club in 2005. I took 3 chair shots that night. My 3-year-old son was in the crowd. After the second chair shot, my left arm went numb, it was the same feeling I had the night I broke my neck. At that point, looking at my son, I had to step away," Axel explained.

With pro wrestling in the rear view mirror, Axel Law relocated south as a single dad to work in law enforcement as a part of the gang unit. He cites that he could never work a desk job, but enjoyed his career in the law enforcement field. Still, with his son now in his early-20s, the youngster was too young to remember seeing his dad in the ring for that final bout in 2005.

"I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I needed to step away and be a dad. That being said, my son was too young to remember me wrestling. I think he’d get a kick out of seeing his old man go," Law commented enthusiastically.

As the cliche goes, nobody really retires from wrestling, and about six months ago, Axel Law found himself at a Ryse event by complete accident, as he and his son thought they were going to see a band play at the former Sears spot at the Uniontown Mall. Axel was surprised to find himself at a wrestling show, but was even more surprised when he found out that Brandon K, one of his former peers from his heyday, was actually the founder of the organization. The old grappling buddies had a nice chat and Brandon invited Axel to check out the previously mentioned training center. Once he was in the environment, he couldn't resist the chance to hit the canvas again. After an in-ring workout seemed successful, the seed of the idea to return for a comeback match was planted, specifically so that his son could see him transform into the wrestling star at least once, which he hopes for at some point in 2025.

"I have to say that if I am able to do any sort of comeback, it wouldn’t be possible without Brandon K and Glenn Specter. At 55 years old,  my biggest hurdle is my cardio, but I am up every day working out. As far as my gym training it’s going great, good gains, trimming down, and feeling a lot younger than my age. The ring work is really just a process of knock a lot of rust off," Law remarked.

It took Mike Tyson $20 million to step into the ring again. For Axel Law, it's only the chance to let his son see him inside the ring ropes one more time that would be a truly priceless comeback story.