What's next for Konosuke Takeshita?

On the same day that Raw broadcasted live at 8 AM to finish up the lucrative TKO loop of shows in Australia, there was a key title switch in New Japan Pro Wrestling roughly an hour before the Netflix episode started. AEW competitor, Konosuke Takeshita beat talented British grappler, Zack Sabre Jr. to win the IWGP Heavyweight championship after a 40-minute bout at the signature King Of Pto Wrestling event.

There are several different layers to this story, and depending on where the pieces of the puzzle fall within the next few months, particularly ahead of January's trademark Wrestle Kingdom, there could potentially be opportunities for All Elite Wrestling and New Japan, not necessarily on a direct collaboration, but in terms of overall perception with Takeshita as somewhat of a bridge between the two leagues.

While Takeashita has been a focus within the Don Callis stable this year, it's ironic that a few years ago, he was publicly very dissatisfied with his lack of status within the organization, as he didn't want to become one of the countless AEW contracts that were left at home to simply collect a check. As I wrote at the time, Takeshita is simply too talented to spend at least some of the prime years of his career in catering because Tony Khan didn't have anything scripted for him. As a result of his public comments and some speculation about his future, Takeshita got the previously mentioned spot alongside Callis.

I've written about it several times previously so I don't want to retread everything again here, but the bottom line is, Takeshita checks all the boxes for a top guy in a modern promotion. He can go in the ring, he looks like a movie villain, and he's only 30 so theoretically, the majority of his prime years are still ahead of him. 

Make no mistake about it, if a promotion truly runs with Konosuke Takeshita, they could have a main event star on the roster for at least the next decade.

I also wrote a few weeks ago that All Elite Wrestling should consider booking Takeshita to win the world championship as a way to brand him as an "AEW guy" before New Japan had the chance to do the same. Now, with this title victory, things become a little murky in international waters. This is different from when Jon Moxley won the IWGP belt, as it was understood that it was a guest star type of role, as he was the former WWE guy that had a lot of notoriety from that original run before he went to work for the other company that had a working agreement with New Japan. It was clear that Moxley's run was a way to bring some shine to New Japan after their core group of stars were signed away by Tony Khan, and his involvement was more to help keep the Japanese league stable than to forge another chapter of his career in Japan.

For Takeshita, even though he's known as an AEW wrestler, I'm not 100% sure that means that the perception won't shift to his value as a potential next ace for New Japan, especially with the unanimously praised ace of New Japan, Hiroshi Tanahashi set to retire at Wrestle Kingdom in 2026.

This is where there could be bigger plans for Takeshita in Japan than in the United States, mostly because of the significance of the upcoming Tokyo Dome card.

As talented as Zack Sabre Jr. truly is, he's undoubtedly a Jr. heavyweight wrestler, and for decades in Japan, there was a definitively line between the light weight division and the main event scene. This sounds like a snub to Sabre's top-notch talent, but it absolutely isn't meant to be, if I had to guess, the reason that NJPW management decided to book him to win the title is because the roster was simply so thin on star power that he was the best option left. If the office didn't have a performer with major star power, they picked one of the best technical wrestlers in the world as a substitute for it. It was a very tough position to put a talent into, as it's no secret that the organization has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic and Tony cherry-picking the best talent on the roster hasn't helped either.

Sabre's uninspiring main event against Shota Umino last year, which said more about the challenger than the champion, made it clear that the office had to do something major to not only get more interest in the current product, but also something that they could build on for the future.

The retirement of Hiroshi Tanahashi, who completely carried the company on his back for several years before The Bullet Club sparked a surge in popularity that the organization used to generate six or seven really successful years, will draw a big house for the Tokyo Dome. I wouldn't be surprised if 30,000 tickets are sold for the event by the end of the year. Tanahashi concluding his legendary career is enough to draw for the Tokyo Dome in 2026, but with the audience, it also brings with it the chance to make a statement for the future.

Usually, the winner of the G1 Climax tournament goes to the Tokyo Dome to challenge the IWGP champion, but instead of that, Takeshita's title shot was moved up to this week. I could be wrong, but I'd have to guess that there's a specific reason for that and it's probably more than just the notion to promote Takeshita for Wrestle Kingdom. As mentioned, Tanahashi's retirement will move the tickets, and it wouldn't make sense to position Takeshita at the top of the card of the biggest event of the New Japan calendar for basically a one-off.

Tanahashi's final match will have the world of pro wrestling following what happens at the Tokyo Dome, and it's more than possible that the platform is used to cement Konosuke Takeshita as the top star of New Japan.

However, the international waters are murky, at least right now.

It's somewhat of a puzzling scenario, as the Japanese star technically has three contracts between AEW, New Japan, and DDT. His deal with DDT is probably only for the occasional cameo since he started his career with the promotion, and the majority of his schedule will consistent of the two major promotions. It might depend on what contract specifically has priority, and you'd think that it would be AEW since Tony can pay exponentially more cash than New Japan, but if Takeshita isn't planned for a big spot in the near future, it's possible that Tony would yield dates to New Japan as to not hinder their business.

It will be interesting to see if Takeshita's title win is acknowledged on this week's episode of Dynamite, and more specifically, if it's used to add anything to his status in AEW. On one hand, it's understandable that Tony might want to keep the two runs separate so that he doesn't have to book around the concerns of another organization's champion, but on the other hand, it allows for something that might be very unique for both groups. If Takeshita shows up on TBS with the IWGP championship, it undoubtedly makes him a bigger deal in AEW, and it gives more international exposure for New Japan, which has decreased in recent years.

In some ways, Takeshita could organically be presented as the international superstar that AEW is trying to shoehorn Mercedes Mone to be in recent months. If nothing else, it creates some intrigue, an aspect of the industry that has almost exclusively belonged to WWE this year with the debut on Netflix, the purchase of AAA, and the continued international expansion. Right now, Takeshita's title win brings more stability to New Japan, and it also gives AEW something unique to promote so at this point, it's a win-win situation.

Crown Jewel review

The WWE landed in Australia for Crown Jewel, the company's second pay-per-view under the ESPN banner, and while an 8 AM start time on the east coast initially might not have been a selling point for fans in North America, the feedback from the event could prompt subscriptions for the replay or potentially for the next premium live event.

As with any subscription model, particularly with a $30 price tag, it almost brings back a potential pitfall from the traditional days of pay-per-view, it's very possible for fans might cherry-pick, specifically for the remainder of the John Cena retirement tour, certain months to subscribe for particular events and then skip some of the other PPVs on the calendar.

The show opened with Roman Reigns vs. Bronson Reed in an Australian Street Fight, and it went a few minutes too long, but it was a solid match with enough interference to build to a crescendo at the finish. On one hand, starting the show off with a gimmick match could lead to diminishing returns, but the weapons that they used were basic enough that it didn't really take anything away from the rest of the card. More importantly, this made Bronson Reed look like a contender, and how far up the ladder he can go remains to be seen, but management undoubtedly gave him the credibility of the pin fall victory over Roman Reigns to give him the opportunity to make the most of it. All things considered, I really don't think a defeat  does anything to hinder Roman's status since he was cemented as a top guy previously and his performance continues to be quality even outside of the gravitas of the main event scene. There was interference to protect the baby face, but it was still presented as a dominate win for Reed. It will be interesting to see how he develops as a character and his overall perception on Raw going forward. It should be noted that when he returned from the leg injury that he suffered at Survivor Series last year, Reed trimmed down somewhat while still maintaining a big man frame, which will probably add at least five years to his career.

The Stephanie Vaquer/Tiffany Stratton bout was a 10-minute sprint, and taking into account the rest of the event, I don't think that a shorter contest did anything to hinder the presentation itself. If nothing else, something that wasn't 15 or 20 minutes added some variety and a layer of unpredictability to the show. For example, one of the main criticisms I've  had about All Elite Wrestling pay-per-views is the copy and paste format that will give more or less every title match either 20 minutes or longer so the viewers basically know that nothing before that time frame could potentially be the finish. In some ways, this was a clash of styles, as Vaquer's international background puts her in the true work rate category so to speak, which she has tailored to the WWE audience, and Tiffany is more based on the WWE system. That's not a knock on either of them, but rather to point out some of the dynamic of the segment. There was a few clunky moments, but overall this was a good match that built well to the finish with the moonsault from the top rope to give Vaquer the win. Considering how dynamic of a performer that Vaquer is, it makes sense for her to get the extra spotlight at this pay-per-view.

Since I didn't get a chance to watch this show when it originally aired live, I was able to avoid spoilers until I could watch the PPV on Saturday, but I heard the rave reviews of the John Cena/AJ Styles match before I watched it. Truth to told, I usually take hype around a match or an entire event with a grain of salt until I get a chance to see it myself. A great match to one person isn't necessarily a great match to someone else. That being said, I thought that the Cena/Styles bout was a very fun and very entertainment segment without necessarily being the typical barn burner of the modern era, as far as the type of segments that garner buzz today.

It will probably be a memorable match in hindsight, and as mentioned, it was very entertaining, but it was essentially a tribute match where they did a lot of other wrestlers' moves, which made for a very fun viewing experience, but it's not something where they built compelling drama organically through back and fourth action. That's not meant as a jab at either one of them, as they are both all-time legends, but rather to point out the difference in the presentation. It made sense for Cena to get the victory to continue to build to his retirement match.

Iyo Sky and Rhea Ripley beat The Kabuki Warriors in a 20-minute segment. Everything in this match was very well done, and it goes without saying that Ripley was one of the most over performers on the show, especially with this crowd reaction. I think the biggest takeaway from this contest, at least right now since there seems to be a lot more left for this storyline, is that Iyo was given the spotlight for the finish. While the argument could be made that Iyo is the best pure worker in the female division, Ripley is probably the biggest star right now so it's possible that this angle is designed to help to continue to boost Iyo's profile to put her star power closer to the level of someone like Ripley or Charlotte. If that's the case, it's a wise decision because Iyo checks all the boxes for being a major star for the WWE.

The main event was somewhat of a mixed bag, and I'm not exactly sure how not to sound negative toward it since that's not my intention with this review. It goes without saying that Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are top notch performers and two of the best stars anywhere in the business. However, this match went 30 minutes and the scenario behind it just didn't need that amount of time. As I wrote last week, the downside of the Crown Jewel championship stipulation is that it's quite literally an exhibition match for a belt that doesn't have much cache and isn't defended going forward so is there really anything at stake? Does the fact that Seth eventually won really make a difference in the grand scheme of things? This match could've taken place in about half the time, kept most of the tremendous maneuvers that were showcased, and still accomplished the same thing. The top rope Cross Rhodes was a really cool spot, and it was interesting that Seth decided not to use the watch to try to take a cheap victory, before he actually used it to set up the finish almost implying that there might be a shift in his character at some point. I think it's far to early for that, but the portion of the match gave some context to the current storyline. The amount of big moves in this match was really entertaining stuff, it just dragged up way too long for the segment to have any type of steady pace.

I'm not sure there was anything over-the-top by itself on this show, but the sum total of the entire card garnered a very solid presentation, which is very important if the WWE wants American fans to truly make the switch to the ESPN platform.

The career of Saturday Night Special

One side of the professional wrestling business, much like any other form of live entertainment, is a shark tank. It's a cut-throat industry where politics, nepotism, and ego often impact not only the dealings behind the scenes, but also what plays out in the ring as well. Who you can trust and when you can trust them are legitimate questions, as the genre that originated from the carnival circuit can be as carny as the classic ring toss games. That's not to mention the shady nickel-and-dime promoters that run their shows in high crime areas that promise big time exposure instead of payment for aspiring wrestlers that try to break into the sport. There has to be millions of people watching on that random indy Roku channel, right?

There's a reason that there have been dozens of episodes of Dark Side of The Ring.

Thankfully, there's also another side of the pro wrestling coin. There are decent promoters and they book quality talent that look to contribute to sports entertainment through a collaborative effort on any given night. As much back-stabbing and politicking as there might be, there's an equal amount of friendship and comradery shared by those from virtually every background.

Again, true to it's carnival lineage, the pro wrestling show is like the circus. There are fire breathers, clowns, aerial artists, the classic carnival barker, burlesque dancers, cavemen, and other performers a part of the menagerie that draws in a paying audience.

After an event in West Newton, Pennsylvania last month, I found myself as the announcer sitting at a table at a local restaurant with the villain, an island warrior, a neanderthal, and a Super Oprah. We are all from different backgrounds, but share the bond of the squared circle and forged friendships based upon it.

Sometimes, those friendships can sprout into careers and then those careers can duck tail into unique ventures within the previously mentioned over-the-top world of sports entertainment.

One such example is the tag team of Saturday Night Special, the duo comprised of the eccentric Marcus Twist and his bruising buddy, DD Vice. They are a pair of five-year pros that have zigzagged around the tri-state around to become one of the standout tag teams in the region with a combination of gritty character traits and wild in-ring work.

Their bond was formed almost as soon as they stepped into a wrestling ring for the first time to learn the maneuvers of the sport.

"We had met at training in March or April of 2020. What made us both want to tag is so many people saying that we should. A lot of people made comments about how we could be brothers. Basically, everyone around us had pushed the idea before we even tried to tag so once we made up our minds to tag, it was a no-brainer," said Marcus Twist.

"From day one of training, Twist and I hit it off. People thought we were brothers for probably the first two years. I think we work together so well because we think a lot alike and there’s no ego," added DD Vice.

The combination of Saturday Night Special, a moniker based on their enthusiasm for the famous two for $25 at Applebees, worked steadily throughout the past few years to hone their craft and refine their overall presentation. As sleazy villains, their in-ring personas rile up the audience, and the contrast of their styles provide a mixture of big man offense from Vice that is complimented by a rugged move set from Twist. They have become arguably the top tag team in West Virginia, as they are a tent pole of the Real Shoot Wrestling group, as well as staples of the tag division of Victory Championship Wrestling, where they are the current tag team champions.

"DD and myself have an extremely similar background. We’re both close in age, We were both gas and oil field guys, and we both played music when we were young. We had common interests and we both have similar personalities. We both like the same era of wrestling, and it all kind if just clicked when we put it together. It helps because we’re like brothers in real life outside of the ring, if anything, wrestling just brought two guys that would have been best friends regardless together. If you took the wrestling out of it, we’d still be just as close," explained Twist.

A look back on where they started truly puts into perspective how much progress the tag team has made as stalwarts of the independent circuit in the Mountain State.

In November of 2020, when the world was still mostly shuttered from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Real Shoot Wrestling league rented a dusty warehouse to hold closed set tapings in Fairmont, WV where matches could be filmed for a later release while observing capacity restrictions at the time, with just the competing roster in attendance. There quite literally weren't the bright lights or roaring crowd that someone might expect for their professional wrestling debut, but the building served as the first match for Saturday Night Special against Johnny Blast and Kevin Tyler.

"I remember Andrew Palace, Beastman, and Jason Kincaid were among the boys that were in the locker room. If anyone ever thinks wrestling in front of fans is bad for a first time, wrestle two West Virginia legends in a room full of them, have them as your mock crowd, and try not to be nervous in front of a camera for the first time," Twist recalled.

Thankfully, the world eventually emerged from the pandemic, and Saturday Night Special emerged from the empty warehouse to achieve things as a team that they didn't think was possible when they met each other the first day that they began to learn the sport together. During the course of the past five years, the duo have won championships, competed against legends, and racked up a myriad of career highlights.

"Being crowned tag team champion for multiple promotions, tagging with Ricky Morton, tagging against the likes of Shane Douglas and Chase Stevens, and be able to live out a lifelong dream. Plus, being able to share a locker room with countless people I’ve watched and looked up to," Vice commented.

True to their shared dedication to wild action, both members of Saturday Night Special have taken the leap into the death match scene in recent years. Similar to when they had their debut in the sport together as a tag team, they also had their first death match against each other for the Evil Ways underground group, primarily based in the Pittsburgh area, before Twist branched out with a series of events of his own.

"I was always interested in the art of death match, some of my favorites are  death match wrestlers. When Twist and I were invited to help kick off Evil Ways in Pittsburgh, it was off to the races and I’ve been addicted to the thrill of seeing the shock on everyone’s faces ever since," DD Vice said.

"I remember seeing the crazy stuff in the pro wrestling magazines when I was a kid, the barbed wire, the weapons, the bloody wars you’d see pictures of from Japan. I’d watch the attitude era of WWF with my grand pap in the other room watching WCW and we’d tell each other what was going on, I’d always pop huge for the hardcore matches and have to relay what happened to him. The point is, I guess it was always there," added Marcus Twist.

Twist has hosted a series of no ring events and bar fights previously, including for his birthday this year, but plans for his upcoming "Halloween Homecoming" presentation on October 24th to be the biggest showcase at The Morgantown Art Part venue of its kind so far. Along with three no ring death matches, Twist plans for there to be live music, dance performances, and a costume contest with a $200 prize.

"October 24th is going to be a whirlwind of shock and awe the likes of which have never been seen before," Vice remarked.

"I really tried to outdo myself with the line up and added variety to it to the best of my abilities. It’s my band, American Crust's first show. It’s the first time we’ll add burlesque in to the equation. It’s a big return to wrestling for my good friend, Kamikaze after coming back from a potentially career-ending injury in the main event for the evening. We’ll see new faces, some mainstays in the Morgantown scene, and some surprises. I can honestly say the Morgantown Art Party shows have been a favorite of mine, it’s only twice a year that we all get together under one big umbrella and put on the best possible show for everyone to see. It’s really fun, and I can’t wait to see everyone October 24th," Twist concluded.

What's the status of Crown Jewel?

This weekend, the TKO corporation will bring Crown Jewel, an event that was previously for Saudi Arabia, to Perth, Australia for three events. Sure this means that Smackdown, the pay-per-view, and Raw will air at 8 AM on the east coast, but as we've seen within the past few years, these overseas events are very lucrative. Until technology caught up, specifically with the ability to watch shows at anytime through the use of streaming platforms, locations outside of the United States could only realistically get glorified house shows because of the logistics and travel involved. Keep in mind, the entire WWE production, including the equipment, crew, and talent have to make the trip to the other side of the globe. Despite the advancement in technology that makes the broadcast a more realistic option for a pay-per-view, the geography remains the same so it's not surprising that management is maximizing the ability to monetize the flight literally around the world with three shows in Australia.

That being said, based on the current line up of just five matches on the main card, will Crown Jewel still amount to essentially a glorified house show?

Truth to told, when the concept of champion vs. champion was paid for by the Saudis last year, it was something that you could justify based on the amount of cash that the government put up for the event. The opportunity cost of that scenario was that it made one of the champions look secondary in the grand scheme of things for very little cache in terms of momentum going forward. The audience knows that it's a glorified exhibition because the silly-looking Crown Jewel belt was nothing more than a prop to appease the Saudi government for their propaganda campaign. It wasn't a title that had any importance within the scope of the company and it wasn't going to be defended so what exactly was at stake?

That's why it was puzzling that the office would repeat the same process this year without the highest profit margin possible that the Saudi government brings to the table. Similar to what I wrote about the Adam Page vs. Kyle Fletcher bout that was booked as the main event of the All Out pay-per-view on less than two weeks notice, the Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins match at Crown Jewel is another example of lazy booking. It's a superficial crutch that is being used as a substitute for a compelling angle, and given the level of star power currently on the roster, there's more than enough talent to book a worthwhile pay-per-view card, even with the countless hours of content that the WWE machine produces already.

More than the Gunner/Cody match last year, I'd say that there's less room for error so to speak this time with Rhodes/Rollins since both of them are at key points of their title reigns. Cody regained the WWE championship, and if the office wants to keep him fresh, he has to continue to look strong in a progressive journey as champion to set up for the WWE cards in the fall that will ultimately lead to Wrestlemania next year in Las Vegas. The same could be said for Seth Rollins, as he's still in the formative stages of his latest push and it's probably the best spot of his entire career so there's no reason to book anything that would be a hindrance to that.

For years, Seth played second fiddle to either Roman Reigns or Dean Ambrose, and when he was finally put in the main event scene, his character had to endure some absolute drek around the time period that AEW was set to launch, with the argument to be made that some of that same drek is what ultimately prompted the demand for an alternative product. Now, Seth is getting the spotlight as a legitimate star and his association with Paul Heyman for the past six months, including the swerve when he cashed in the MITB contract to win the title, have undoubtedly boosted his stock.

I'm not sure it's wise for either champion to take a loss in this scenario, with the bigger downside being on the for Rollins since he has less tenure in the main event scene so if I had to guess, I'd say that the Heyman stable or possibly Brock Lesnar could interfere to cost Cody the match. It's an excuse, albeit a flimsy excuse, for Cody to take a defeat without sacrificing his credibility as champion. The only reason I say this is that I don't see a way that Rollins can lose without being typecast as "the other champion" among the WWE landscape. Still, I don't think the almost nonexistent payoff is worth booking the match, but management seems to have booked themselves into a corner.

There's less to say about it because neither champion has as much cache since they've had much shorter careers in the WWE so far, but it's a very similar situation with the Stephanie Vaquer/Tiffany Stratton bout. Vaquer just won the championship in a stellar match against Iyo Sky just a few weeks ago, and Stratton is still in the process of establishing herself as a star in the female division that has a lot of depth and considerable star power. A loss for Vaquer suggest that she's not ready for the role of champion, and the same might be true for Tiffany considering her status compared to the other stars of the division. Again, there's very little upside and a steeper downside for this equation. Granted, it's one pay-per-view, but we've seem potential stars lose momentum with key losses at key times before. I don't know what the right call is for this one, but given that the company just switched back to a $30 price tag to watch the event, they can't book multiple DQs as a way to get out of the stipulation without damaging a champion.

John Cena vs. AJ Styles should be a very fun match, considering that the two have a storied history and the match is taking place as a sign of their respect for each other. All they have to do to have a good match is play the greatest hits, and there's nothing wrong with that for this contest. That being said, this is quite literally an exhibition, as its a stand alone with Cena set to retire at the end of this year, and Styles rumored to hang up his boots in 2026.

The last two matches on the card, the women's tag match and the Roman Reigns/Bronson Reed bout, are the two contests that have something at stake in terms of progress for storylines or career trajectory. The tag team angle in the women's division is a good way to utilize the talent involved in a fresh way, allowing for some new faces to get involved in the title picture. Bronson Reed vs. Roman Reigns could be a major moment for Reed, especially if they have him beat the former record-setting WWE champion in his home country. We saw Bronson attack Roman and send him out on a stretcher, which made Reed look like a legitimate monster, but it will be interesting to see how far the office wants to push him in this storyline. While it would be reasonable for Roman to get a measure of revenge with a victory, a defeat doesn't really do much harm to his status in the company, but a win for Bronson could be a significant moment to boost his stock in the company. It depends on what path the office sees for Reed in terms of how far up the ladder they think he can go as a marketable star, and I'm honestly not sure what his ceiling is within the WWE banner, but at the very least, there's something on the line based on the result of the match.

It's interesting to note that neither the Usos or CM Punk are on the card, despite their segment on Raw this week. If I had to guess, I'd say that they will make an appearance at some point during the event, but it makes you wonder if management looks to move them slightly down the card to make room for other talent on the brand. Since the ESPN app is subscription based, the start time is rather irrelevant, but at this point,when the company and the network are looking to sell fans on the move to the new platform with a more expensive cost, the Crown Jewel card isn't necessarily something that will generate new subscribers.

What's the status of The Rock?

I think it's fair to say that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will be smashing his way back onto WWE programming sooner rather than later. When Vince McMahon was exiled from WWE in disgrace last year, the TKO corporation brought Dwayne Johnson, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood into the fold, to put a positive spin on the narrative around the organization. Paul Levesque was pushed as the new head of the company at the time, and Vince was quietly shuffled away from the headlines, at least within the realm of the WWE.

Basically, The Rock used the WWE platform last year to boost his profile for upcoming movie roles, and the publicity worked because at a time when his shine in Hollywood began to wain slightly, he was viewed as a massive star for the WWE again. He played a pivotal role in the coronation of Cody Rhodes finally winning the championship at Wrestlemania 40, with the tag match on night one that led to the title bout on night two of the pay-per-view.

This year, The Rock had a key role again, but failed to follow through, specifically when he not only didn't have a match at Wrestlemania 41, but sent Travis Scott in his place for a rather underwhelming segment in the main event. Furthermore, since The Rock returned to the WWE, his involvement has been hit or miss to say the least. There was a random appearance on NXT where he used profanity on a live show that was on broadcast television, and last October when he randomly showed up at the end of the Bad Blood pay-per-view for a cameo that was never explained. The post-show press conference appearances were absolutely cringe worthy, as he went from a heel five minutes earlier to a lame attempt to try to sound like a scholar that was critiquing Shakespeare when he discussed his own performances on a pro wrestling show.

It was self-indulgent and the whole thing seemed like The Rock was using the WWE platform to boost his own profile more than anything else.

That's why I think his latest film doing the job to Taylor Swift on its opening weekend will bring Dwayne Johnson back to the WWE so The Rock can reassure the film industry of his value as marketable a star.

Johnson's newest film, "The Smashing Machine," the biographical tale of the triumphs and tragedies of MMA fighter Mark Kerr, tanked at the box office. With a reported budget of $50 million, the movie only garnered a dismal $6 million this past weekend, prompting most to already label it a flop. Not surprisingly, the Taylor Swift movie claimed the number one spot and racked in more than $33 million over the weekend. Nobody would reasonably expect that the story of a pioneering MMA fighter, who has his prime even before the surge in popularity that the sport originally had two decades ago, would generate more cash than the top pop singer in the world, but besides the dismal number, The Smashing Machine actually finished in third place for the weekend behind One Battle After Another, which actually opened the previous weekend. 

That implies that The Smashing Machine just wasn't a priority for most moviegoers, and the disappointing number would also suggest that slapping The Rock's name on a film doesn't automatically sell as many tickets as it did prior to this.

Don't get me wrong, the story of real-life Mark Kerr is a fascinating journey, and The Rock's portrayal of him is something that I'd watch when it's convenient, but it's not something that I'm going to go out of my way to view immediately. Clearly, it wasn't a film that most fans had to see right away, either.

Again, that's not a knock on Kerr or Johnson, but with the amount of streaming options, and the inflated costs of seeing a movie in a theater since so many locations simply closed during the pandemic, a film that's worth seeing on the big screen is a rarity. That's truly disappointing since the theater experience can make a film that much better, but it's also a reality of the entertainment industry in the modern era.

Considering that Taylor Swift generated $33 million when it was played on a similar number of screen as the other two films in the top three at the box office, each around 3,500 screens, it proved that people will still pay to go to the theater, they are just more selective with the number of movies they will pay to watch there. That's another disappointing aspect of the film industry, there's undoubtedly less movie tickets being sold because the general public simply doesn't go to the theater as often so the result is that less movies get a wide release on the big screen and have a shorter run in theaters.

The reasons that the mainstream public buys less movie tickets today are numerous, but in this situation, the biggest takeaway is that the opening weekend is usually the strongest point for the box office for a film and then there will be a more drastic decline than in the past. The time that a blockbuster film will bring in major cash at the box office for a few weeks in a row is mostly over. Again, people will still go to the movies, but they simply go less often, partially because of how many other entertainment options are available in the modern era.

It goes without saying that The Rock is a legendary performer and one of the biggest stars in the history of sports entertainment, I'd rank him only behind "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in terms of sheer popularity so it's obvious that the WWE will be a stage for him anytime he wants to show up, but at the same time, I think it's fair to ask, is there really a role for him in the current WWE landscape?

That might sound ludicrous on the surface, but take into account the rather disappointing reaction to Wrestlemania 41 and how John Cena's heel turn fell so flat without The Rock's involvement since he was the catalyst that Cena randomly turned baby face on an episode of Smackdown without any major moment around it. The notion that the WWE should yield to The Rock just because he's The Rock or that anything he does is entertainment gold was disproved this year. There were a few rambling 30-minute promo segments that just weren't good television, when the office allowed him to play a key role in a monumental heel turn, he wasn't there for the follow-up.

Remember, The Rock randomly buried the hatchet with Cody on WWE television, which confused the audience, and at the very least, there's not nearly the demand for that match as there would've been if The Rock was the one that cost Rhodes the WWE title at Wrestlemania. In theory, The Rock vs. Roman Reigns could be a scheduled bout, but in a similar fashion, there's just not the same demand for that match as there was previously. The discontent between the two was another point that wasn't followed up on after the tag match last year.

However, The Rock is a smart businessman, and there's already an opportunity on the horizon for him to secure his place in the spotlight.

With the WWE's move to ESPN for premium live events and  of course, the coverage on ESPN that goes along with it, it would make sense for The Rock to resurface in the WWE somewhere around the start of next year to be able to grab the headlines for a feud that would culminate at Wrestlemania 42 in Las Vegas. Considering how much the company touts its gate record and ticket sales to help pad the stock price, it's a wise move for The Rock to get involved because its a way for him, at least partially, to take credit for the success of the event.

If I had to guess, I'd say that the lack of the success of The Smashing Machine more or less confirms that Dwayne Johnson will lace up the boots at least one more time for the Saudi government at Wrestlemania in 2027. The skuttlebutt online already suggest that the Saudis will offer massive money to a slew of aging legends to get as much star power as possible on the card for the first Wrestlemania held outside of North America. The Wrestling Observer's Dave Meltzer reported that the Saudis are specifically looking to get names like The Undertaker, Steve Austin, and The Rock for the event. The fact that oil money turned the biggest event on the wrestling calendar into another part of Saudi propaganda is almost moot. The point is, The Rock can secure a mega payday and still get the publicity of the ESPN coverage because the network's app will broadcast Wrestlemania 43.

Regardless of when The Rock makes a comeback, if Dwayne Johnson actually returns to WWE, it will be interesting to see what type of reaction he gets from the audience, and more importantly, if it will have the same impact on ticket sales that it did before. At one point, the WWE could put The Rock on the marquee for an automatic boost in sales, but that might not be the case now, it definitely wasn't for The Smashing Machine film. 

What's the status of Adam Page?

"Republicans buy shoes, too." Michael Jordan, Episode 5, The Last Dance

There's a reason that some entertainers stay away from political statements, as it divides the audience, hence making it often a no-win situation. Granted, the two-system party and the divisiveness that it causes is by design, as politics, especially in America, is more of a work than pro wrestling, and it's more profitable, too.

Still, the fact remains that the pubic, especially the casual fans, don't want anything, right or wrong, to interfere with their entertainment value. That includes sports as well since even the competition of the pro leagues is still a form of entertainment. If you want pure competition, that's what the amateur ranks are for, and that's why the Olympics draw an audience once every four years. When Floyd Mayweather artfully dodged punches throughout the mid-2000s on his way to a relatively short run as the top star in boxing since his hand-picked opponents led to glorified exhibitions, not competitive bouts, fans still flocked to see him fight, despite the fact that he threw punches at women outside of the ring during several different domestic violence incidents over the years.

Mayweather is a coward because he hit women, but that's just my opinion, and it's up to each person to make that individual decision as to where they draw the moral line in the sand. Some say that Jon Jones is the greatest MMA fightwe of all time, I'd say that he underachieved and wasted most of his talent with a laundry list of legal issues during his career. At the same time, nobody really celebrates OJ Simpson as a running back so there's a limit to how much fans will ignore to get their piece of the entertainment pie.

However, nobody wants to be told, especially by the people that they are paying to entertain them, what they should or shouldn't support, or what causes should be considered worthwhile.

For example, Michael Jordan understood that in the business world, the bottom line is to make as much money as possible. The easiest way to do that is to have the biggest potential customer base as possible. During his legendary NBA career, a tenure that many have said cemented him as the greatest to ever play the game, he made an estimated $94 million. The past thirty years of endorsement deals, Jordan earned and estimated $3 billion, with the vast majority of that fortune from his iconic Nike contract that has spanned three decades.

Mike was right, republicans buy shoes, too.

When it comes to the amount of money, at some point it becomes just numbers on a page, but as a comparison, Jordan never rocked the boat by weighing in on social or political issues. Sure, he was a role model for black youth in his prime, as many sports stars are for younger generations of all backgrounds, but he wasn't going to take a personal stance in matters outside of his area of expertise, the game of basketball, because "picking a side" so to speak, even when common courtesy dictates an obvious answer, will sour a portion of the audience, which are customers of the product. On the flip side, LeBron James, who has made his own argument as the best to ever step on the court, has taken an active role in social and political issues. As a result, right or wrong, LeBron is seen as a polarizing figure, whereas Jordan is unanimously praised. The audience can't judge an opinion if one isn't stated, and that ambiguity translates to more potential cash from a variety of revenue streams.

Muhammad Ali lost three years of the prime of his career because he objected to being sent to war based on his religious beliefs, and was vilified at the time for it. It took years before he was fully embraced again as the rightfully global icon that he is. Make no mistake, political opinions matter and sacrifices are made when they are stated.

That's why I'm not sure if All Elite Wrestling world champion, Adam Page's post on social media objecting to ICE commercials during this week's episode of Dynamite is a wise decision in the grand scheme of things.

Don't get me wrong, Adam Page absolutely has the right to speak his mind, and he might have a point, but the possible outcome compared to the negative PR might not be worth it. To put it in perspective, Warner Brothers Discovery is the parent company that TBS falls under, which is also the same parent company of CNN, the most prominent liberal network on cable. The bottom line is, if the United States government wants to buy commercial time on the Discovery networks, their money is still green. Cash is king, and Discovery is willing to take money from the ICE advertisement budget regardless of the political message behind it.

The fact that they are trying to recruit local yokels that want to play Rambo to be a part of a law enforcement group even if Billy Bob from the shallowest gene pool in the union has no business being involved is irrelevant. Again, cash is king, and if Warner Brothers Discovery is willing to run ICE ads, it shows that their political standards go as far as the dollar spends. The point being, if the network is willing to take the cash despite well-known liberal affiliations with CNN, Adam Page is objecting to the network that airs the commercials, not the ICE agency itself.

The whole situation is rather messy and that's why nuance is so important, but in the modern social media age, nuance is often completely ignored. There's undoubtedly a humanitarian side to the immigration debate, as people are willing to leave their homeland with nothing, but the clothes on their back for a chance to pursue a better life in the United States. At the same time, ignoring the problem also implies that breaking the law will be tolerated. Ironically, ICE didn't become a hot topic until the orange villain, who was convicted of 34 felons, decided to use scare tactics as a political strategy. There have been illegal immigration skits in movies for literally fifty years, as Cheech and Chong were accidentally sent back to Mexico despite being US citizens in their 1975 cult classic, Up in Smoke. Cheeto Trump pushed the narrative of the Mexican boogeyman, and old white people everywhere often honestly believed what they were being told. The fact that the other side of the aisle fumbled their opportunities more than WCW fumbled Goldberg didn't help matters.

Ironically, the US government currently being shut down underscores how much of a circus the entire political landscape is, and when the country reaches a point such as this, there aren't any winners. We're all counting the lights while the suites in Washington get to strategize for their next fundraiser. 

Remember, politics is more of a work than sports entertainment, and it's more profitable, too.

The point being, the immigration situation is a very complex topic, does any pro wrestling company want to step in that mess? As mentioned, it's a no-win situation, as anything political has the potential to divide the audience. Sure, when you consider the critical immigrant workforce, in some ways the horse is out of the barn so to speak. At the same time, it's reasonable to think that everyone will support criminals being detained. I'd say that the waitresses and Home Deport workers that have been in the country for decades aren't a threat, nor should they be a priority of law enforcement. I know, a common sense approach to anything is unthinkable these days.

Either way, it's simply not wise for Hangman Page to encourage fans to contact TBS or HBO Max. Is a petition from a pro wrestler really going to make Discovery decide not to take the money for the ICE ads? It's doubtful, but it's more than possible that the network wouldn't be too thrilled with one of their television shows criticizing one of the groups that pay them for ads.

Furthermore, given that Jimmy Kimmel was given an unwanted week-long vacation from the air after the director of the FCC tried to pressure ABC, is it wise to potentially agitate a political subject for a show on TBS?

I understand that the WWE obviously has political ties, the McMahons donate millions of dollars to Trump's election efforts, and Linda was rewarded with positions in his cabinet during both terms, but it's a different dynamic for the WWE when they are so closely associated with the current administration. Furthermore, the TKO corporation is careful to tiptoe the line and keeps their political connections away from the product and mostly the audience as well. The publicity photos are more for the stockholders than anything else. Along with that, much like the fans that ignored Mayweather's domestic violence, the criminal case against Conor McGregor, and the legal woes of Jon Jones, the vast majority of the WWE sheep would follow the product even if they was a political spin to WWE programming. The fact that there isn't shows that the TKO corporation understands that there's no benefit to souring a portion of the audience.

Adam Page might have a point, but it's moot. The network getting paid to run the ICE 'ads is the entire point of the television business. The bottom line is, it's doubtful that Page's social media post gets the ad taken off the air during Dynamite broadcasts so the only result might be to sour a portion of the audience, which isn't a wise move for a show that already had a decline in ratings during the past few years.

The career of Jean Paul Les Miserable

"It was never matter of if I was going to wrestle, but when."

Professional wrestling has been called many things since it's inception more than century ago. A spectacle, sleazy, thrilling, carny, incredible, awe-inspiring, disappointing, and amazing just to name a few. With as much debate and the many forms that sports entertainment can take, there's one term that might describe it in its purest form, theater.

The dramatic clash between heroes and villains takes the live audience on a ride of peaks and valleys before the narrative hits its crescendo on its way to a resolution. The literal canvas of the squared circle is the stage for the art form to be put on display. Epic victories, tragedies, love stories, and violent conflicts can all play out within the course of a professional wrestling event the same way that it unfolds before the curtain lowers on the stage.

For Logan Blackhart, a youngster that has become a standout performer in the mid west within the past few years, the professional wrestling business became somewhat of a family business, as his father, stalwart of the Ohio independent scene, Ripper Blackhart became involved with the WAR Wrestling organization more than two decades ago when his son was just a toddler.

"After their third event, three friends of mine and I became part owners after the original partnership dissolved," Ripper commented.

Over the next 22 years, Ripper wore virtually every hat possible for the promotion, as he did everything from tear tickets, hang up poster, security, merch tables, ring crew, work as a manager at ringside, an interviewer for DVD releases, a color commentator for their local television deal, and assist with the writing of events. His years of knowledge as well as the decades of experience are put to use today through his role as head organizer behind the scenes for the promotion. On-screen, the Ripper Blackhart persona remains a fixture of WAR as an authority figure, and he's also the commissioner of the West Virginia-based Victory Championship Wrestling.

"So growing up, he was always involved. I always went to WAR shows and when I got a little older, I went to a shows around Fort Wayne and Akron," Logan explained.

For the father and son duo, professional wrestling became a way of life, as the two zigzagged all over the Buckeye state on any given weekend. Given that Logan had literally grown up around wrestling rings and merch tables, Ripper knew that it was a foregone conclusion that the second generation Blackhart would want to set into the squared circle one day. Working in a factory most of his life, as well as knowing how tough of a business sports entertainment can be on the mind and the body, Ripper insisted that his son attend college first to give himself as many real-world career options as possible by the time he reach adulthood.

Unfortunately, real life had other plans, as professional wrestling wasn't just the way of life mentioned earlier, but became a critical lifeline when Logan was still in high school.

"While still in high school, he had a major bout of depression, leading to him trying to take his life on more than one occasion. One of his counselors said one of the constant things he talked about was pro wrestling and asked if this was a possibility for him. He grew up around it, he's been around it since he was three or four years old. At this time, he was 15 years old. So, I begrudgingly called my friend Cody Hawk, who had a school in between Dayton and Cincinnati," Ripper explained.

Cody Hawk, an associate of the legendary Les Thachter's Heartland Wrestling Association, is known as one of the most accomplished trainers of the modern era, teaching former world champions such as Jon Moxley and Sami Callihan during their formative years in the sport. For just over a year and a half, Ripper would drive young Logan two hours to Hawk's training school for a two-hour training session and then drive the two hours back home twice a week.

 "Logan was a great kid. He trained with me when he was about 15, I think. He had no gimmick or character,  that came later. We had to build confidence first," Cody Hawk remarked.

Finally, after the tedious process of learning how to land on the canvas safely, practicing the sequences of technical maneuvers, and numerous four-hour round trips to Cody Hawk's school, it was time for Logan's official pro wrestling debut in 2016.

At just 16, Logan entered a battle royal on a Cody Hawk spot show, a debut that he looks back on with a comical lens, as opposed to the bundle of nervous energy that he was that day. He wore a plain black singlet, a Gene Simmons lucha mask with a blonde ponytail sewn into it to peek out of the back of it to camouflage his age, and plain boots.

"The match itself was nothing special: some strikes, jaw-jacking with the fans, and over the top," Logan recalled.

Sure, the mask of the Kiss singer was two sizes too big, the singlet was as generic as could be, and his time inside the ring was brief, but Logan had broken into the sport that he admired nearly his entire life, a goal that almost wasn't possible just a few years earlier.

With that, Logan set out to cut his teeth in the industry, working as many shows as he could alongside his dad, and honing his craft as a performer. As time passed, he developed solid fundamentals and began to become more confident in his ability as a performer.

 "I think working the shows together at first was kind of like him having training wheels. Although he grew up around it, he was never in the locker room so I think it helped him to navigate his way through things and the fact that if he needed something I was there, helped. Now that he's been doing this for over 10 years, it's been nice seeing him go out on his own and make his own name," said Ripper.

However, as with most things that organically become successful in sports entertainment, in more recent years, Logan found the biggest upswing of his career so far by pure accident. He had a pair of events to wrestle at on a particular weekend, and on the Friday presentation, Logan had verbal sparred with the crowd so much that he legitimately lost his voice, leaving him speechless for his match the next day. When someone in the locker room jokingly mentioned a Mime character would give Logan an excuse not to use what was left of his fragile voice, longtime veteran, Matt Taylor advised that it would actually work, which prompted Logan to give the French-inspired persona a try at the event.

"It sounded nice to me because my voice was so shot that it genuinely hurt to talk. I took the name from Jean-Paul Satre and the Les Misérable musical. When you can't talk, you have to make everything else you do bigger. You got to emote with your whole body and exaggerate your facial expressions. When pantomiming, you gotta do everything you can to make people understand whatever invisible thing you have in your hands. I've learnt there are simple things that go a long way to add clarity," Logan explained.

Jean Paul was a hit with audiences and has become a staple of not only the Ohio circuit, but a cult favorite in Victory Championship Wrestling as well. In fact, it took only a handful of appearances in VCW before the "miserable mime" became a crowd favorite. In a genre where almost everything is copied, borrowed, or reinvented, Logan brought an original character to the table, which makes him a memorable part of any event where he competes in the ring.

But, the theatrics that made the character work so well in the squared circle weren't just by chance. Instead, it was a clever application of lessons that Logan learned outside of the ring when he pursued higher education.  

"I studied literature, creative writing, and theater in college and I think that all three of those things relate to pro wrestling. I also love psychology and philosophy. There's a great essay by a French philosopher from the 70s about pro wrestling and when reading it in the present, you really get a sense of the universal foundations of the art form as well as its timelessness."

 "As I look at him now, he's become an out standing entertainer. He's grown so much since those times years ago in a dirty warehouse. A solid character, adding depth to any roster. Logan was one of my favorite kids and I'm so proud the wrestler he turned into, added Cody Hawk.

Clad in the classic mime attire of a french beret, stripped shirt, and black pants with suspenders, Logan quite literally pantomimes his way around the ring in the name of pure entertainment. He brings classic theater to the stage of the squared circle.

"Literature is all about storytelling. Every story is about a character who wants something and has to fight to get it, wrestling is no different. Wrestling matches essentially follow the plot structure diagram that every English teacher shows in school. I'd describe pro wrestling as sports theater, it mixes combat sports with monologues," he said.

Logan has taken quite a journey through the genre of professional wrestling. When he was 15, he was despondent and felt hopeless, but through the solace of the squared circle during the past decade, Jean Paul Les Misérable has emerged as a confident and talented performer that can create a memorable impression on hundreds of fans almost every weekend.