Reportedly, the country of Saudi Arabia is paying the WWE upwards of $250 million to host WrestleMania 43. Prior to 2027, only Canada (twice) was fortunate enough to host WWE’s biggest and most trademarked event since its inception in 1985. Prior to WrestleMania 43, Saudi has paid the WWE $100 million for Royal Rumble 2026 and around $20-30 million per various other Premium Live Event (PLE) shows. This relationship with Saudi Arabia has been a very lucrative one for the WWE and now TKO since 2018. However, it has come with a few headaches, too.

For example:

– Saudi Arabia’s government is based heavily on Sharia Law. You may look that up yourself, but it’s a good reason why we have “separation of church and state” here in the United States. State-run religion tends to historically dislike any other religions contrary to the one that the government practices. Further with Saudi Arabia, they are just now granting various rights and opportunities to females now that weren’t there in the past. During WWE PLEs, the country runs various ads and video segments in attempt to advertise how much they’ve evolved lately.

– The assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi occurred during October 2018, which put a ton of world attention on the country. If you’ll recall, there was political pressure on Vince McMahon to not host a recent PLE there during that time (Crown Jewel), but he still had the event anyway despite lots of political pressure not to.

– Following the Crown Jewell 2019 event, WWE wrestlers were stuck in a plan for almost full day due to a reported payment dispute that Vince McMahon had with the country of Saudi Arabia for hosting their events. While Vince and top wrestlers got the hell out of dodge via private plane, up to 200 wrestlers, production crew members, and other WWE employees were left stranded and the plane wasn’t allowed to leave… Or that’s one side of the story, as WWE claimed mechanical issues. Then why keep them on the same plane?

BUT, I would say since 2019, it’s been a smooth experience and the country of Saudi Arabia seems to like working with the TKO/Endeavor group. UFC has had 2 of its events in Saudi Arabia, for example, and there have been no hiccups with WWE. After all, both Royal Rumble and WrestleMania went to Saudi for $350 million. Safe to suggest that the relationship is doing well right now.

WrestleMania 43 will be in Riyadh… On September 19, 2026, a fuel storage depot near the Riyadh Airport was attached by drones and missiles. This was reportedly performed by Houthi, a religious group based out of the country of Yemen with close ties to Iran. Weeks prior to this, they successfully struck the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia. Want to know why gas prices shot up during September? There you go, this very attack. Other places and military bases have also been struck lately, along with a few Saudi Arabia tankers in the Red Sea. While Iran conducts its own strategy within the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis have been performing its own attacks the Red Sea. Both waterways surround Saudi Arabia on both sides.

Why is Saudi Arabia being attacked? It’s who they know and associate themselves with lately…

During late February of 2026, Israel conducted military strikes on Iran with the United States providing additional military support on the country of Iran. Prior to this, strikes occurred during June of 2025 to “obliterate” their nuclear facilities. These strikes continued that premise, but also had direct strikes on the leadership of Iran and ended up killing the Ayatollah and other top Iranian officials.

Iran’s response has been rather unique… Instead of getting revenge directly on Israel and the United States, they’ve opted to attack any Middle East country who serves as an ally for either country. In addition to strikes directly on Israel, they’ve aimed drones and missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, and of course, Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, they were aiming at United States military bases in the regions (hence the casualties), both other times they were hitting key infrastructure such as oil or natural gas refineries which takes years to rebuild (hence, another reason why gas prices are up). Iran also realized that they could control the Strait of Hormuz, which is a waterway connecting the Persian Gulf (remember that from Desert Storm of 1990-1991?) and the Gulf of Oman waterways that many Middle Eastern countries use to transport oil to various countries.

As Iran has attacked all of these different countries, most of which are allies with United States, they are causing each country to burn through their interceptor missile munition supplies to shoot down any missiles or drones that Iran sends their way. In many cases, we’re looking at $2-5 million interceptor missiles shooting down drones that might cost up to $30,000 each. Each of these allied Middle Eastern countries have burned through their protective stockpiles and now it makes them more vulnerable than ever. This military equipment can’t be made fast enough to protect against future attacks. It also costs a ton of money to make (Patriot missile types, especially).

I’m not here to assess blame, but merely to express danger that WrestleMania 43 has around them in Saudi Arabia… Look at what is surrounding Saudi Arabia as a country right now. Iran is nearby with only a waterway (Persian Gulf) and the country of Iraq between them on its Eastern border. Further, they share a Southern border with Yemen which is where the Houthis live. In other words, they are vulnerable from attacks from the South and from the East right now in their country, and that’s scary when you consider they’ve burned through interceptor missiles and other projectiles already. Saudi Arabia also has Israel to its North, while also having Lebanon to its North as well. Both countries have their own Iranian proxy groups in the form of Hamas and Hezbollah.

There’s a ton of danger surrounding Saudi Arabia as they attempt to host WWE’s biggest show during April 2027.

Now, if I were a betting man, I would suspect that WWE WrestleMania 43 will have extra security in place for this event. It’s very likely that the United States military will be on HIGH ALERT for both nights of WrestleMania 43. That’s right, TWO nights of WrestleMania to be on-guard and to ensure that nothing happens. BUT, there needs to be protection of the wrestlers flying into the event, too, and would cost money.

In my opinion, though, there presents TOO MUCH RISK on the WWE performers, any WWE employees, and any Saudi Arabian fan attending the event. Heck, any WWE fan who is able to actually travel to this from other countries, too.

So, MOVE THE DAMN EVENT!

WrestleMania 43 was supposed to be originally held in Nashville, TN. Award it back to them.

WrestleMania 42 was supposed to be originally held in New Orleans, LA but was shifted back to Las Vegas for another price gouging year. Award WM 43 to them.

Sorry, but what’s happening in the Middle East is bigger than ensuring that TKO’s executives receive 8-figure bonuses at year-end.

What you see happening now has been building since the 1940s and especially towards the United States since the 1950s following the coup of their government. Through the late 1970s, the Islamic Revolution happened and installed the religious government that has been in existence ever since and led by the Ayatollahs (3 family members with direct bloodlines) who are seen as religious figures more than leaders of a country. The current Iranian leaders have disliked the United States since their 1953 coup that reinstalled the Shah, while their ongoing rivalry with Israel was made worse with the Shah government installed by the U.S. was very favorable and friends with Israel.

Since the late 1970s, Iran has been not just an outspoken critic of the U.S. or Israel, but also funded proxy groups to help facilitate their viewpoints and to perform various attacks. For example, Hamas, who is funded a reported $100 million annually by Iran, launched attacks on Israel during October 7, 2023 which killed over 1,200 people. This deadly attack response prompted a sharp response by Israel on the Gaza Strip and would set the stage for what we’ve seen during 2025 and 2026. Prior to recent events, Israel and Palestine were always off and on peace deals or ceasefires, but politics or other events have ended those.

In other words, WrestleMania 43 happening in a nearby country is at risk being close to international and religious stuff that has been cooking for over 70 years now and has really escalated with recent attacks and other activity in the Middle East.

Right now, as of 9/22/26, Saudi Arabia has a TRAVEL ADVISORY with the entire country at Level 3, which suggests “Reconsider Travel” with additional areas inside the country considered as Level 4 for “Do not travel”.

Here is what the advisory says, and I am quoting directly from this advisory on 9/22/26:

*****

Reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to risk of Iranian drone and missile targeting of American interests, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans, and local laws regarding social media activity. Some areas have increased risk.

– Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive important updates and alerts from the U.S. embassy or consulate. Enrolling helps the U.S. embassy or consulate contact you or your emergency contact in an emergency.
– Review the Country Security Report for Saudi Arabia.
– Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans.
– Many prescription medications need prior approval before bringing into or taking out of Saudi Arabia. Before you travel, register any listed prescriptions at the Controlled Drug System (CDS) website. This approval process may take several weeks.
– Review our information on Terrorism and travel to High-Risk Areas.
– Have a plan to leave in an emergency that does not depend on U.S. government help. – Review our information on Crisis Response and Evacuations.
– Keep travel documents up to date and easy to access.
– Stay aware of your surroundings.
– Stay alert in large crowds or tourist spots.
– Avoid public displays of affection, particularly between same-sex couples.
– Visit Saudi Arabia’s website for information about public decency regulations.
– Do not carry, produce, use, or distribute illegal drugs in Saudi Arabia.
– Review local laws and conditions before traveling, including our Saudi Arabia country information on arrests.
– Review our information for Gay and Lesbian travelers.
– Before you travel, delete any sensitive photos, comments, or past content that might be seen as controversial or inappropriate in Saudi Arabia. Do not post, share, or like such content while in Saudi Arabia. Do this for your social media accounts, cameras, laptops, phones, and other accounts and devices.
– Visit our page regarding Arrest or Detention Abroad for more information on what happens when you or a loved one is arrested abroad.
– Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) page for the latest Travel Health Information for Saudi Arabia.
– We highly recommend that you buy travel insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancelation coverage.
– Whether you’re a first time or frequent traveler, use the International Travel Checklist.

*****

Are you freakin’ nuts, TKO and WWE?

Why potentially subject your WWE “independent contractors” and employees to this?

Why cause our hard-earned tax dollars to be spent on protection so that you can make $250 million in Saudi?

Why are you putting your own fans at risk for attending this WWE event in a danger zone?

I have a solution… Each and every TKO executive MUST attend WrestleMania 43 and then have to leave the event using commercial airlines. Yeah, I guarantee this event gets moved immediately!

Read the “potential targets” section again…

Potential targets include:

– Important political, cultural, or religious locations
– Places visited by U.S. citizens and other foreigners (!!!)
– Tourist locations and large gatherings (!!!)
– Hotels, and locations where American citizens gather (!!!)
– Transportation hubs
– Markets and shopping malls
– Entertainment venues (!!!)
– Government facilities

Majority of that SCREAMS WrestleMania 43.

You can say whatever you want about the Saudi Arabia government and why WWE (now TKO) is doing business with them. We’ve been arguing that since 2018.

However, this is a discussion about SAFETY because Saudi Arabia has had missiles shot at them and drones attacking them, while having bases and critical energy infrastructure destroyed.

And this issue won’t heal itself overnight, and is in fact becoming worse. These Houthi attacks are escalating and hitting that East-West pipeline is why you’re paying over $4 per gallon unleaded and why truckers are paying a record $6+ per gallon for diesel. Anywhere something gets shipped by truck, they’ll increase their prices too.

Move the damn event!!!

WWE wrestlers need to realize that they have leverage right now. Want us to wrestle in Saudi Arabia? PAY US MORE while ensuring our SAFETY for this event.

And if you were predicting Rock vs. Roman Reigns to finally happen at this event? There’s NO WAY that the TKO would send one of its Board of Directors to this event. However, if TKO wants to make a statement, then boldly have the Rock wrestle and perform there…

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: WWE and TKO Should Seriously Consider MOVING WrestleMania 43 Away from Saudi Arabia Due to Safety Concerns appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Brian Cage has been an AEW contracted performer since 2020.

So my question is this, for Tony Khan and the Executive Vice Presidents of All Elite Wrestling… Do you have a drug testing and/or wellness policy with any consequences for failed tests?

First, I scoured AllEliteWrestling.com myself and also utilized Artificial Intelligence (AI) to review the website as well.

Also performed various search engine reviews if any existing drug testing policies were out there. Nothing found.

Best I could do was many places alluding to the “right” of AEW to perform a drug test, on a wrestler, if desired.

I also reviewed AEW’s mission statement on their website. While they’ve always call themselves a “pro wrestling” organization, with various wrestlers balking at the term “sports entertainment”, AEW’s own Mission Statement says, and I quote: ”AEW is built to create moments of a lifetime – memorable, inspiring and spectacular – by providing our fans with the best wrestling matches and entertainment anywhere. We believe providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for all AEW events is central to that mission.”

The word “entertainment” is clearly there, and that’s important on the basis of how AEW is regulated in each state where it holds live events. Why? Because unlike boxing or mixed martial arts (MMA), they won’t be regulated by the State Athletic Commissions who often require testing of athletes for drugs and other health conditions (just saw a recent documentary where an athletic commission found that boxer Tommy Morrisson had HIV and denied him from fighting).

AEW’s trademarks are also marked as “Entertainment Services”, further described as “exhibitions” and “performances”.

Again, point being, as much as they boast about being wrestling, they are classified exactly like the WWE which means the ability to exploit wrestlers as “independent contractors” and to avoid State Athletic Commission required testing because they aren’t a sport but are entertainers. In other words, just as Disney on Ice performers aren’t drug tested as “entertainers”, neither are pro wrestlers.

So, what have other reports said about AEW having any drug testing?

RingsideNews.com transcribing Fightful.com Select’s Sean Ross Sapp from 9/15/26: ”in all his conversations with people from AEW, nobody has ever told him they were drug tested”. Note, he’s just saying that he never heard of it in all of his years reporting on AEW (or TNA).

WrestlingHeadlines.com transcribing Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer on 6/17/21 said, in AEW’s then 2-year and a half existence that “talent do have something in their contract about being tested” (confirms other reports) but that “it does not seem that anyone has officially been tested as of yet”.

But then, and get this… Meltzer talks about Brian Cage during June 2021: ”One person in particular named Brian Cage who people even write jokes about on their own show. So I guess if they write jokes about it I can mention his name since they freakin’ talk about him and needles and everything, but whatever.”

In the immortal words of Sealab 2021… We have UH OH!

We have Brian Cage admitting to PED usage and then you have a top news insider and someone who knows AEW intimately well (often cheering for them to succeed) with Dave Meltzer alluding to Brian Cage possibly using them 5 years ago.

Sooooo… Let’s ask this question with Brian Cage admitting to using PEDs and now TRT, no State Athletic Commission testing, AEW classified purposely as “entertainment” with “performance” and “exhibition”, and top news reporters being unaware if any testing has ever happened. Could AEW have a issue with Performance Enhancement Drugs (PED)?

I’m just asking the question…

After all, people in the press asked questions during the early 1990s, like Phil Mushnick of the New York Post, and that prompted the Federal Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate the WWE and Vince McMahon for distributing steroids to its wrestlers. Further, after Chris Benoit died, WWE was subject to legal investigations due to its non-public Wellness Policy since early 2006 (following Eddie Guerrero’s death) that only made violations public after June 2007 when Benoit’s murders and then suicide happened. Oh, and that Florida online lab sting happened shortly after that.

WWE and its McMahon promoters were raked over the coals for (a) the 1994 federal trials alleging steroid distribution and (b) the Chris Benoit murders + Florida online lab sting of 2007.

Hell, any time that a former WWE wrestler died earlier than the normal rate of expectancy, it was always labeled as if they took some sort of drugs during their tenure with the WWE or had to remain dependent on them after leaving the WWE.

WWE took all kinds of arrows for allegations regarding PEDs and later, their loose testing on them that happened from during 1992 when the federal investigations began and through June 2007 when Benoit murdered his family. And again, any time that a wrestler died, their tenure with WWE was blamed.

And this isn’t a WWE column, so I’m not here to defend them… Because Vince McMahon is an admitted user of PEDs, it’s hard to argue that he wasn’t at least “looking the other way” when his wrestlers may have used them. After all, he has a track record of pushing and mostly signing very muscular and chiseled wrestlers.

My point is this: If you’re going to be a BIG BOY wrestling promotion like the WWE, then you should be ready for ANY criticism or allegations that come your way.

Including this very question: Hey Tony, Brian Cage recently admitted to PED use on a podcast. Are you able to provide evidence of drug testing and show documentation of punishment if anyone was in violation of abusing PEDs?

And let it not stop there… What about OTHER drugs or maybe any kind of substance abuse?

Only thing found is Jeff Hardy for a 2022 DUI and driving with a suspended license. However, AEW’s testing didn’t prompt that suspension. Hardy’s own arrest and it being made public did.

And I hate to say this in light of recently deceased wrestlers who were NOT found to be in any association with drugs… But if a current or former AEW performer does pass away in the upcoming years, do we start questioning AEW about their drug testing policies or any “wellness” policies like we did WWE for decades for any wrestler deaths?

I’m just asking questions, along with asking for consistency.

If you’re going to compete with the WWE and act like a top wrestling promotion on display, then you better be ready to answer a few serious questions, Tony and his EVPs.

At the very least, AEW needs to have a serious discussion and review of Brian Cage to what he’s admitted to publicly.

Again, just asking AEW to be consistent here if they are going to act like a big boy wrestling promotion.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: Brian Cage’s PED Usage Admission Should Raise Serious Questions About AEW’s Drug Testing Policy (or Possible Lack Thereof) appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

BUT – I’ve attempted to defend the WWE that has existed since 2024… I’d rather watch 2024-2025 WWE than to watch almost any year since 2013 during the 2010s. I liked the John Cena 2025 Retirement tour, flaws and all. I think the match quality is higher with Triple H in charge, as Punk vs. Roman is my favorite match of the year as an example. Often, I’m calling out corporate meddling from TKO, who seem to be micro-managing the WWE exactly as Vince McMahon did during the mid to late 2010s (almost as if he’s calling shots through them).

However, I think that it’s officially time to stop defending this WWE machine, whether it’s TKO’s corporate meddling or Triple H lacking balls to take control of the company.

Last night, Sami Zayn won the WWE Title from CM Punk on a random episode of free WWE television known as Smackdown with the help of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae distracting and then Kevin Owens delivering an accidental blow to Punk with the title belt.

Now, I 100% get why Kevin Owens would be there and causing chaos, as he’s been feuding with CM Punk. Totally understandable.

But since when are we accustomed to FOREVER LOWER MIDCARDERS like Gargano and LeRae being inserted into the main event just looked cheap. I’m personally glad that both are receiving an opportunity to shine and wish them well, but them interfering looked cheap. This is different from members of the NWO or Bloodline interfering because they were established as members of a group and there to protect who actually had the world title. Gargano and LeRae haven’t been used or featured well in the WWE since they were called up from NXT and now, they are determining the outcome of a WWE Title match.

You know, the REAL World Championship, the one that has the original WWE lineage, the WCW lineage, and 2 separate brand splits.

And I’m even more sorry to say this, as I overall like this wrestler… But Sami Zayn as a two-time WWE Champion? Really?

I was happy for him winning it initially at the Saudi Arabia PLE, as it was a nice “lifetime achievement” award for his past contributions to the WWE. In my opinion, he made the Bloodline storyline better during 2022 and the drama surrounding his role fueled what I think is one of the best Wrestlemanias ever with #39 during 2023. Just watch that ending to Royal Rumble 2023 and attempt to admit that you didn’t feel something. We all did and it made us more addicted to the WWE that year.

Now, however, hotshotting the WWE Title to him during a random episode of Smackdown feels very “WCW during 2000”-ish to me. You know, when we had like 20 different title changes during that year. What, is Vince Russo now booking the Smackdown brand for the WWE?

It’s very likely that TKO, with maybe some nudging from NBC/Universal, is encouraging BIG THINGS to happen on WWE Smackdown because after all, viewership is BARELY hanging on to 1 million viewers hovering around 1.2 million lately. Folks, we’re in ECW on TNN and TNA Impact on Spike TV formerly TNN) viewership territory and they were 2nd or 3rd bananas in the competitive wrestling arms race.

BUT, we’re also in the territory of Triple H favoring his ex-NXT students… HHH was the one who inserted Sami Zayn into the Bloodline and that choice is significant because Sami was coming off his major loss to the Jackass crew at Wrestlemania 38. Remember him losing to that big mouse trap? Though Sami actually match an entertaining match out of that, he still lost yet HHH had his back and put him with the Bloodline to eventually go from losing to Johnny Knoxville at Wrestlemania 38 to headlining Night #1 of Wrestlemania 39 and winning the tag titles with Kevin Owens over the Usos in a major match of consequence.

HHH and HBK have ALWAYS had Johnny Gargano’s back and have pushed him to the moon when they could. They let go of his tag partner Tommaso Ciampa, which I’d argue had more marketability with the WWE, but opted to retain Gargano. Candice has a losing record in the WWE and is one who puts everybody over. While that role is relevant, as someone has to lose, but we’ve seen others released by the WWE who also put over other wrestlers non-stop. I’m NOT calling for either to be released, but my point is there exists some bias and love for Johnny Gargano by Triple H and it’s placing him in big spots like this.

HHH does show bias to any NXT call-up that he personally groomed or ones, especially, who listen to his advice. Bronson Reed is a perfect example of that, and gee, look who just attacked Oba Femi. What a coincidence? He also joined the newer Bloodline group and later joined the Vision.

So with that, I’m no longer going to defend this WWE regime, as everybody is impaired now. TKO is micro-managing everything and with that, Triple H is there to only “die on a hill” to defend and push the folks he personally likes. That ending to Smackdown was an abomination and CM Punk deserved better as a World Champion.

I’m also here to declare that 2023 was the official peak of the WWE, maybe even Wrestlemania 39 being the tip because post Wrestlemania 39 had its issues, too. Things magically came together for Wrestlemania 40, but that was honestly a sh*tshow on how that happened and everyone’s expectations have been forever high because of that event.

For me, TKO has fully taken over and the leader that was Triple H from 2022-2023, who literally saved the WWE from the Vince McMahon scandals and MADE IT BETTER, is now a former shell of himself.

This sucks because now it feels like the WWE has returned to “late 2010s” mode and the alternatives to watch are overrated.

We are in a declining period of wrestling, something that I wrote about and predicted during 2015 when WWE began dismantling John Cena as its top guy and bulldozing everybody with a dominant Brock Lesnar and an inexperienced babyface attempt called Roman Reigns. Funny, if we’re in “late 2010s” mode, then a babyface Roman Reigns fits right in.

The ONLY way we’ll see a boomtown in pro wrestling again is if any wrestling promotion creates a valid developmental system that adequately prepares younger wrestlers to step up. AEW doesn’t have a good system, as they are free agent dependent, and WWE is still dependent on wrestlers from prior developmental systems such as OVW and FCW, as the NXT developmental system stocked and supervised by Triple H has not restocked the WWE roster like the other systems have.

When Matt Bloom is your Performance Center trainer, and when you have open casting calls for anybody off the street to come to you versus actually scouting athletes to join (as Ross, Brisco, and even Mark Henry did), things will fall apart. Matt Bloom training is hilarious, as if he demonstrated the skillset as Prince Albert, A-Train, or Lord Tensai to teach to younger wrestlers. Go watch “Lord Tensai” completely sandbag Ryback’s finishing move and then realize THAT is who is training wrestlers for WWE. In comparison, the women have a GREAT trainer with Sarah Del Rey and gee, all of them are performing well and WWE has an entirely new division to market and sell along with superstars to send all over the country.

So yeah, WWE is in decline, TKO is micro-managing, and Triple H is in “f*ck it” mode where he’ll only care pushing his friends or favorite students. Sami, Johnny, and Candice need to THANK Triple H for always having their back.

Hey, at least Triple H is consistent… He’ll ride or die with the folks who personally showed him appreciation, like the Clique during the 1990s, anybody who worked out with him in the gym (Batista, Sheamus), and now his NXT students and signings. I’ll give him that.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: After Sami Zayn Won the WWE Title From CM Punk on Smackdown Last Night, I’m Done Defending WWE or Triple H appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Through 2025, now under TKO’s rule, the WWE earned $1.7 billion in revenues. If we apply that same 15% rule, the pro wrestlers should earn around $255 million.

Anyone care to bet me that they are NOT earning that?

As we saw in the news, multiple wrestlers were asked to take 50% paycuts. This prompted the New Day to ask for their releases and were granted them, as those longtime WWE employees and actual merchandise sellers were insulted at the notion of taking 50% off of contracts that TKO signed. Reportedly, one longtime wrestler did take the 50%, with some guessing Miz or another wrestler thinking that leaving the WWE would jeopardize his opportunities (LA Knight?) without his trademarked WWE name.

Meanwhile, TKO Executive Chair and CEO Ariel Emanuel received total compensation of $67.4 million while the CFO earned $23.1 million and the COO earned $42.6 million. What, they couldn’t take 50% paycuts themselves? Nick Khan, who is president/CEO of the WWE and also on the TKO board, made over $24 million during 2025.

And before you suggest that these “Chief” positions are doing such a great job, then why does TKO carry almost $5 billion in DEBT despite UFC and WWE having revenues pouring into their coffers? Also, why did the Endeavor corporation have so much debt that it needed Silver Lake to finance them and buy them?

In other words, WWE wrestlers are getting SCREWED on their network while TKO and WWE executives are pulling in the money.

Hell, Triple H is earning $2.8 million according to Sports Illustrated. He’s the Chief Content Officer who actually puts the shows together and then produces them live at the events as well. He’s putting in way more work than those sitting in cushy offices all day, and HHH has to be micro-managed by these TKO fools as well.

As we head into Labor Day, it’s time for WWE wrestlers to STAND UP and stop swallowing the turd sandwiches that WWE, with this TKO corporate daddies, keep serving them.

WWE wrestlers are the ones taking the bumps in the ring, getting thrown through tables, having to travel all over the country or world, work through injuries, be away from their families, and have to do countless charity and personal appearances for TKO and WWE. Furthermore, they are silenced from expressing themselves personally and WWE/TKO owns all of the copyrights that the wrestlers help build up as a solid brand.

What wrestlers don’t realize is that they have all of the power. If each walked out and refused to do a televised wrestling event, which puts the Netflix, USA Network, and ESPN+ deals in jeopardy, the WWE could be in trouble with each of those companies with those television deals. Further, wrestlers need to understand how MAD fans are at TKO right now for price gouging them on live events and merchandise while feeding them to the price gouging streaming wolves with Netflix and ESPN/Disney. If wrestlers were to walk out today, fans would back them because they’ve been pissed at TKO’s corporate antics for the past 2 years.

Yet, the wrestlers are afraid to stand up to these corporate cowards.

And I’m full aware of what the WWE did to keep labor unions away during the Vince McMahon era. Vince liked to push one wrestler really hard, such as Hogan and then Austin/Rock, then Cena, and the eventually Roman Reigns along with supporting others like the Undertaker. By coddling up to the top person on the card, Vince knew that he could keep drawing if the top guy was loyal and therefore made the rest of the roster expendable. Without Vince, Roman Reigns remains the highest paid guy followed by Cody Rhodes, who happens to be represented by WME which serves as an agency where several TKO executives still work as agents (Ari Emanuel, for example, represents Pat McAfee personally).

For a union to actually form in the WWE, they would need the top main eventers to be willing to support the union. Hulk Hogan wouldn’t, as he stooged out Jesse Ventura to Vince McMahon during 1986 (right before Wrestlemania 2) when Jesse tried to suggest that wrestlers unionize and hold up Wrestlemania 2 to accomplish this feat. Once that ended, Vince further demolished the territory competition to make his promotion the #1 in the land and made it difficult to argue. Then, Austin, Rock, Triple H, and Undertaker with John Cena later playing the game came along and accepted being loyal main eventers for Vince.

Personally, I’ve always argued that wrestlers should desire to join the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) which is now called SAG-AFTRA. WWE wrestlers are clearly following scripts both in their promos and how matches are laid out with backstage producers. They are also taking prepared stunts. They are televised each week on Netflix and USA Network, along with PLEs now on ESPN+. WWE has been long established as a form of “entertainment” with an court precedent in place when state athletic commissions tried to regulate pro wrestling during the late 1980s.

Admittedly, there are economic consequences of unions, historically speaking…

– Unions work in strength in numbers, even with a portion of those numbers are weaker performers.

– Pay for union workers is often due to seniority and not just merit or performance.

– If current workforce shrinks, then ability to fund benefits, such as retirements and pensions on a pay-as-you-go system becomes a major financial problem.

– Labor stoppages, such as strikes or lockouts could occur when a contract is up or nearly up or if there’s a new disagreement between the parties.

Right now, both the NBA and NFL split revenues almost halfway between the ownership and players. 50%, compared to wrestlers earning 15% on contracts that can be cancelled at any point. NBA contracts are fully guaranteed, while NFL contracts are mostly guaranteed and are often subject to renegotiation if a player outperforms their current deal.

One could argue “well, if the wrestlers get paid more and take in more revenues, then TKO will raise its prices”.

Great argument… BUT TKO IS ALREADY RAISING THEIR PRICES!!!!!!

They’ve been gouging fans HARD over the past 3 years… Know what is causing them to price gouge? Total greed, as top executives are pulling in 8 figures a year and laughing as the wrestlers take the bumps on their behalf.

It’s now or never, WWE wrestlers. If you want to be pawns for the WWE brand that TKO wants you to be, then keep working under the current terms and they’ll pick you off individually one-by-one. Otherwise, take ownership of yourselves as a locker room and hold greedy TKO executives accountable.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: With Labor Day Here Again, WWE Wrestlers Should Consider Unionizing Against the Greedy TKO Machine appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Can’t we just agree that each match was great for their era?

Geesh.

For one, let’s disqualify a few opinions first… Ric Flair was in the actual match with Ricky Steamboat, so obviously, he’s biased. Dave Meltzer is totally IN THE BAG for All Elite Wrestling and anyone who works for New Japan, so obviously, he’s very biased. One is protecting his legacy and the other is protecting his hidden ties to AEW.

But the rest of you fighting in the trenches… Who cares? Who cares which match is better? What are you trying to prove with online fights?!?

Steamboat vs. Flair happened in 1989, while Ospreay vs. Omega happened in 2026… That’s a 37 year difference, and that’s older than one of the wrestlers discussed (Will Ospreay is 33, born in 1993).

It’s like the same idiotic argument of which athlete from this era of MLB, NBA, or NFL is better, despite being decades apart or never having played each other. Like the Michael Jordan vs. Lebron James debate. Who cares? Just admire that both human beings were very talented and won multiple titles each. Sure, they did it different ways, but the leagues conditions for each era provides context.

Or even worse, the old Joe Montana vs. Tom Brady debate. Brady had to get 4 titles to even be included in the debate, but even that was enough. Tom getting 7 Super Bowl titles still isn’t enough in this lame debate. Who cares? Both were great in their era and both will be Hall of Famers when Tom gets in soon.

Then you have “any player today” versus Babe Ruth debate, as if Babe Ruth wouldn’t dominate with late 20th century or early 21st century medicine, performance enhancers, and nutrition if he played today.

Notice how I didn’t mention NHL… Nobody disputes Wayne Gretzky as the G.O.A.T there… I painfully admit that as a diehard Pittsburgh Penguins and Mario Lemieux fan.

But this debate that everyone is having is STUPID, especially since Ospreay vs. Omega from AEW All In 2026 JUST HAPPENED. Why can’t we let the damn paint dry before we see it’s long-term impact? Ospreay/Omega happened 5 days ago, while Flair and Steamboat happened 37 years ago.

What wrestling fans need to realize that Flair vs. Steamboat was through 1989 was an actual exception to what pro wrestling was back then. You didn’t see hyper-athletic matches like that back then because most of the fanbase believed that pro wrestling was real and wrestlers could do more with psychology or gesturing with fans during the match. With the fans emotionally invested already, they didn’t have to perform high risk moves or show extreme athleticism. Thus, why wrestlers could actually perform over 300 times per year back then because they just had to work the crowds who already believed what they were seeing was real. This is why Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3 was so unique for its time and then why Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair stood out in 1989. Those matches were complete outliers for their athleticism in comparison to other matches back then.

Fast forward to 2026. 37 years later, wrestlers are influenced by what Ricky Steamboat, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and a metric ton of cruiserweight wrestlers and international wrestlers have put on for decades. Because kayfabe was shattered, wrestlers since the late 1980s had to TRY HARDER with their matches to keep the crowds interested. Hence why you saw workrate increasing by the year through what we see now with 2026. Sadly, along the way, too, we had ECW to influence everybody flying through tables or jumping off ladders.

Flair vs. Steamboat (specifically the WrestleWar 89 match) was the best match that we’ve ever seen until 1997 when Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin happened at Wrestlemania 13. THINK ABOUT THAT, folks… It took 8 freakin’ years for another epic 5-star match the equivalent of Flair vs. Steamboat to happen.

But then, through the late 1990s, guys like Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko, Brian Pillman, and many other international wrestlers arrived to really speed up the tempo of the matches. Main eventers like the Rock, Austin, Undertaker, John Cena, Batista, and Brock Lesnar actually adjusted their own styles to match the faster paced style. With time, wrestling schedules were reduced from 300+ nights pear year to around 150, if that. Wrestlers are working less, so thus they put more effort into the bigger televised matches than ever.

Again, wrestlers of today HAVE TO because putting their bodies on the line is the only way to keep the fans interested because fans know everything is scripted.

Ricky Steamboat vs. Ric Flair stood out because there were no other matches like it, and nothing close to it until the late 1990s.

With Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega, we’ve seen many high impact, high energy, and high risk matches like it. Hell, there are other Omega vs. Ospeay matches that are equally as good as what you just saw at All In 2026. Both Omega and Ospreay have had many great matches with other opponents, notably Okada in the past or with other various opponents in New Japan. AEW often has 10-15 matches on their Pay Per Views and they are full of high energy and high impact matches that are receiving higher star ratings from fans and critics alike. Let’s not discount WWE… Their workrate is way up, as even Dave Meltzer had to give Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk at Wrestlemania 42 a 5-star rating.

The problem with Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega is that it’s in a much more crowded field, and thus can be forgotten in a short while. If you were a wrestling fan since the 1980s, you remembered 1989 with those 3 televised Steamboat vs. Flair matches and you never forgot about them. Then, it took about 8 years for any match to even be the equivalent of quality to that match.

Then I’m seeing stuff like “Ospreay vs. Omega drew over 40,000, which was higher than anything drawing in 1989 for WCW”. Yeah, well, WCW had more eyeballs watching their shows back then and that Clash of the Champions event in New Orleans drew poorly because it was given away for free on television. There’s a bigger population now, and plus for All In, they had a hometown kid winning the AEW Title. WWE drew strongly in Wembley with SummerSlam 1992 because British Bulldog was going for the Intercontinental Title.

Y’all are just in a worthless pissing match… This is apples and oranges. Flair vs. Steamboat was quality in an era of quantity of matches that didn’t require major athletic effort because fans were emotionally involved. Now, however, there’s too much quantity of quality matches and wrestlers have to work harder to earn fans’ attention.

Just be happy with the abundance of great matches today, but thank building blocks like Flair vs. Steamboat that helped influence what you’re seeing now.

STOP WASTING YOUR TIME arguing this crap online. It’s not good for your health and speaking through your fingers is worthless versus actually talking to and conversing with real human beings in-person.

Both Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat and Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega were great for their eras and years… Very simple premise to agree on.

That said, I’ve watched both matches and I’ll hand it to Flair vs. Steamboat. Why? Because Flair and Steamboat didn’t have to nearly injure themselves with higher risk moves than what Kenny and Will had to do. I don’t know how Kenny Omega’s neck isn’t badly injured after that match, while I believe that Steamboat and Flair were chilling comfortably after their matches in 1989.

Plus, again, Flair vs. Steamboat were the diamond in the rough back then… Now, we’re creating too many artificial diamonds that are drowning out the quality.

Gotta try harder to impress fans when you flush kayfabe down the toilet…

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: Assessing the STUPIDITY of the Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay and Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat Match Comparison Debate appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

If you enjoyed AEW All In 2026, be proud of it. I’m NOT here to belittle you for enjoying the show or parting your hard-earned money to either attend the show or watch it on Pay Per View. This is not a column here to criticize AEW on its workrate or style.

However, this column will describe why AEW is stunted in its growth and has a similar problem that plagues the WWE to limit its growth, too.

Ready for it? Let’s review AEW’s current champions following the All In 2026 event:

– AEW World Champion: Will Ospreay (free agent signed during late 2023)

– AEW International Champion: Okada (free agent signed during early 2024)

– AEW Continental Champion: Jox Moxley (free agent signed during mid 2019)

– AEW National Champion: Andrade (free agent signed during 2025, also previously signed during 2021)

– AEW TNT Champion: Darby Allin (AEW Original)

– AEW Tag Team Champions: Adam Copeland (2023 signing) and Christian (2021 signing)

– AEW Trios Champions: Swerve Strickland (2022 signing) & The New Level (aka New Day, 2026 signings)

– AEW Women’s Champion: Mercedes Moné (signed early 2024 as a free agent)

– AEW TBS Champion: Persephone (2025 signing from CMLL)

– AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions: The Brawling Birds (both working indy or international circuits prior to joining AEW, but more or less originals nationally with AEW)

So besides Darby Allin, AEW is a company that signs free agents and pushes them to the top? Do I have that correct?

In other words, no home grown talent gets pushed and then put over on AEW’s biggest show of the year.

To that extent, I’d argue the SAME problem exists with the WWE with the exception of maybe pushing a few of their homegrown talents close to their expiration dates (Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, John Cena, CM Punk technically, and Brock Lesnar).

Right now in the WWE, it’s not so much that they are pushing free agents to the top, but they aren’t moving on from their main eventers and completely disallowing any recent younger signings or developmental wrestlers to rise up. For example, Oba Femi… We thought Wrestlemania 42 was his big moment when he demolished Brock Lesnar, but then Lesnar attacked him and then defeated Oba in their next match. Sure, SummerSlam 2026 gave us good vibrations, but the fact is that WWE literally wasted 4 months on not pushing Oba to the top from Wrestlemania 42.

Bron Breakker has repeatedly been misused and denied entry into the top main event scene. Ditto for Jacob Fatu, whom Roman Reigns took care of several times. Solo Sikoa hasn’t been important to WWE’s plans since Roman took care of him to start 2025. Aside from the Women’s Division, what the NXT developmental system is bringing up isn’t as strong as what OVW or FCW once provided, but even then, once they do make the main roster, Creative seems to want to immediately cut them at the knees and remain veteran dependent.

WWE has grown since the pandemic because they pushed home grown talent to the top and luckily for them, they had multiple wrestlers ready to hit their prime years when they did it. Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Sami Zayn, and I’d argue to an extent, Kevin Owens, waited patiently after the terrible 2010s when Vince McMahon micro-managed the WWE roster and then once Jey, Roman, and Sami were repackaged with the Bloodline and Kevin Owens was inserted into the mix, we had an explosion of growth through 2023 and Wrestlemania 39 that created tides that lifted all WWE boats that year.

And then WWE had the potential to put Roman Reigns over even further with him defeating The Rock in a match. Could have happened at Wrestlemania 40, but the better time to happen was at Wrestlemania 41. Rock got busy with movies and that opportunity to make Roman even bigger just disappeared. Now, he’s clinging on to the same playbook and WWE thinks that their fans will eat the same recycled storylines as before. Dominant Roman surrounded by the Bloodline, but this time, as a babyface group.

Meanwhile, younger talents can’t get over in the WWE.

WWE peaked in growth through 2024 and has been on the slow decline since 2025 because they are too veteran heavy. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Seth Rollins, and Cody Rhodes have formed a veteran wall that cannot be breached by developmental talent. Meanwhile, WWE’s top brass is trying to milk those veterans for everything they have and hence, why tired fans just won’t pay the insane prices that the TKO corporation wants to charge for WWE events.

AEW just doesn’t have a developmental system… For some of the wrestlers they have tried, they either fizzed out or they somehow got jobs to become WWE’s problem (hello Jade Cargill). Their promotion began by signing free agents from the independents, New Japan, or WWE. That’s fine for a base and introduction, as I’d argue that Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho contributed significantly to AEW during 2019-2021, but then AEW became entirely dependent on free agency. It was nice to have CM Punk back, but AEW didn’t create him and only benefitted from him walking away from the WWE 7 years ago. And then that blew up in their face not just at All Out 2022 or All In 2023, but due to their marketing boasting a “younger roster” while CM Punk in his 40s was not the same worker.

Following AEW All In 2023 and its fallout, that’s when Tony signed many free agents to big deals such as Okada, Ospreay, Mercedes, and Adam Copeland who, by the way, are each holding a title belt in some form for AEW right now.

The result of the late 2023 and early 2024 AEW shopping spree? TV viewership kept declining and attendance for AEW’s live shows, other than Pay Per Views, is deemed a success if it can break 4,000 people with lower ticket prices.

To AEW’s credit, they can put on fun and exciting Pay Per Views… Nobody, including me, denies that.

But I can attend many independent shows who put on tremendous shows, too, but they aren’t getting national attention. For pro wrestling, it’s easier to find great athletes than it is to find great showmen. With time, I’ve agreed that pro wrestling has some of the best athletes in the business today compared to previous years. They can pull off moves and keep the energy going much more than prior generations… However, prior generations of wrestlers did “more with less” and used charisma and psychology to carry the match without having to risk their bodies with high-impact moves. Their moves-per-minute were way down and that allowed them to literally work over 300 shows per year. If wrestlers today worked 300+ matches per year today, AEW’s healthcare bills would bankrupt the company based on the high tempo and high risk style AEW presents.

Here in 2026, it’s not hard to put on a great wrestling match at least in terms of athleticism. Without much innovation happening these days with new moves, wrestlers have blueprints on what will peak the interest of those who give out match ratings using the star system. Just string along “x” amount of moves, have many false finishes, and just keep the energy up and you’ll at least get 3 stars in a match. Increase the high risk moves, and 4 stars or more are coming your way.

The dirty secret for AEW, however, is that they are keeping the free agent signings on top while the rest of the wrestlers are just burning themselves out with this high-risk style. Then, AEW just finds more athletic bodies to keep cycling in and out of the roster to fill that high risk need. However, anyone working hard in AEW from underneath are NOT rewarded and hit a ceiling because Tony keeps preferring to push ex-WWE or ex-New Japan guys on top.

As I’ve said before, AEW has wasted money on Jim Ross. Not that signing him as an announcer wasn’t worth it, but that they never let Ross advise on building a developmental system. What Jim Ross did during the late 1990s through 2005 was remarkable and restocked the WWE roster for decades to come and that momentum kept going through FCW and NXT. While wrestlers at the WWE Performance Center are NOT trained as well as they were at OVW or FCW, the point remains is that WWE has the potential to debut the next homegrown star in the future. Lucky for AEW, WWE is currently pissing away any recent developmental call-ups.

AEW lacks a strong developmental system to present never-before-seen wrestlers on a national level to its fans. Fans like to invest in the process, cheering on someone who debuts and then climbs the ladder all of the way to the top. It’s a time investment to see a wrestler at their humble beginnings to become World Champion and those memories keep you around as a wrestling fan. Watching that process is intoxicating and keeps that wrestling addiction going.

Take John Cena, for example… We all saw his big “ruthless aggression” debut against Kurt Angle, but then we saw him struggle on the WWE roster for the rest of 2002. Then, on a random Halloween episode, he cuts a promo where he raps and suddenly, a new gimmick is born. From late 2002 through early 2005, we got to witness John Cena grow as a character and go from becoming United States Champion to World Champion by Wrestlemania 21. Then, Cena was a great World Champion which kept the rewards going. John Cena always delivered, even when good opponents during the early 2010s. However, Cena made you believe that Miz, Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, and CM Punk were big superstars simply by working against John Cena who sold like a champion for them. Then, the 2025 retirement tour was a pure payoff and I think many Cena “haters” also jumped aboard, as they now fully realized how great Cena was back in the day.

WWE is botching their own process of debuting wrestlers and letting them naturally climb the ladder… AEW just doesn’t have such a process.

Instead, they shower those 2023-2024 free agent signings with love and put them over on their top show of the year. Looks like Tony Khan has to continually justify the high contracts that he’s paying each of those wrestlers.

AEW will NOT grow by signing free agents and then pushing them hard against any talent who have been there for a while.

Didn’t we just learn this lesson from Dark Side of Wrestling about Jeff Jarrett’s TNA tenure? TNA began going downhill during the late 2000s and early 2010s because of all of the veteran ex-WWE, WCW, and ECW wrestlers they signed and pushed over wrestlers deemed TNA originals or at least first-timers to the national spotlight. Those 2010s shows literally tried to push the same New World Order wrestlers (Hogan, Hall, and Nash) that WCW made famous together during 1996 as if 14-15 years doesn’t age or diminish any wrestlers.

Let’s go further… How did World Championship Wrestling (WCW) die again? You had Eric Bischoff mismanage the company and give out massive contracts to veteran wrestlers who were kept on top to justify those big contracts. Plus, Eric became a mark after he joined the NWO during November 1996 and went out-of-his-way to make that group strong throughout 1997, 1998, and 1999 even when the NWO gimmick was beyond its prime. Wrestlers like Paul Wight (Big Show) and Chris Jericho knew what was up and sought the WWE for greener pastures. By March 2001, WCW was dead and AOL/Time Warner had massive wrestler contracts to pay off.

You need a developmental system and then require proper planning to debut, build, and push new talent.

If you don’t have a developmental system and push fresh talent, there won’t be any “big” veterans to sign in a few years…

Let me make one last point…

Know what system has a developmental system and has been thriving for the past 10 years? WWE’s developmental system for FEMALES. Their talents are all homegrown or were journey wrestlers until joining WWE. Liv Morgan, now WWE Women’s Champion, was a Hooters waitress and they developed her into a massive star that nobody had before. WWE presented Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks (now Mercedes in AEW), Bayley, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belaire, and many, many others to the public and got that division over because each star were NOT seen anywhere else before.

Rumor has it that AEW wants Bayley and Bayley wants to possibly join the promotion to join her real life friend, Mercedes… That’s fine, but Bayley is a late 30s wrestler who has accomplished so much already in the WWE. What could you gain that hasn’t been presented or accomplished before with that particular wrestler?

AEW just doesn’t make anything their own… They just borrow other people’s already created stuff.

They have NOTHING original to show for it.

Go ahead and call me an “AEW hater”. At no point, did I bash any performances from AEW All In 2026 or any of its roster.

My point is that AEW is too dependent on free agency and Tony is pushing the wrestlers that he chose to sign with million dollar contracts versus homegrown talents that the fans helped make into stars for Tony.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: The Problem with AEW All In 2026 and its Current Champions or Pushed Free Agent Wrestlers appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Through Wrestlemania 6, nobody could deny that Ultimate Warrior was clearly #2 and trending upward. Also, Hulk Hogan didn’t exactly have a great post-Wrestlemania 5 time after having the ridiculous follow-up feud with Zeus who became a character-turned-wrestler from the awful WWE produced film No Holds Barred. Rather than milking Hogan vs. Savage a little longer, WWE shifted the focus on making an actor somehow figure out pro wrestling quickly on the fly.

During 1989, the WWE did really well financially because they had two separate houseshow circuits that were killing it throughout the country. On one hand, you had the A-Show that featured Hulk Hogan as the headliner and defending the WWE Title. Meanwhile, the B-Show was still killing it with the Ultimate Warrior headlining that show. WWE packed houses across the country with both Hogan and Ultimate Warrior on top, while the merchandise involving either Hogan or Warrior sold extremely well.

In terms of drawing power and merchandise sales, nobody came close to Hogan or Warrior through the beginning of 1990. Thus, it seemed reasonable that the Ultimate Warrior could take the top spot from Hogan and run with it. Especially now with Hogan getting older and maybe peaking through Wrestlemania 5.

And I’m right about Hulk Hogan. He did, in fact, peak through 1989… While Hogan did make a comeback to the main event through 1991 and became WWE Champion again at Wrestlemania 7, business continued to decline throughout 1991 with Hogan as champion. Then, came Royal Rumble 1992 where Hogan was booed after he helped eliminate Sid Justice insomuch that the WWE actually edited those boos and the commentary on the home video version of the show.

Hulk Hogan did well as the returning hero in 1991 because of the old Jim Cornette philosophy of “how do we know how much you’re loved if you don’t go away”. Having Hogan lose during 1990 and then return as the “knight in shining armor” during 1991 helped boost interest in Hogan for his return to the main event. However, it was short lived and by Rumble 1992, wrestling fans were beginning to boo him heavily.

Proves to me, too, that WWE could have turned Hogan HEEL during 1992 and could have made money years before WCW got to benefit from turning Hogan heel during 1996.

Let’s get back to the Ultimate Warrior. He was VERY OVER through Wrestlemania 6 and fans were split in that PACKED Toronto Skydome. However, what nobody could fully predict is that Warrior would go a bit off the deep end after this event. His marriage began to fall apart as he began to pick up bad habits on the road. As he was now asked to do more fan events as WWE Champion, he wasn’t always cheerful to fans during those. Warrior also wasn’t “one of the boys” like Hogan was, as Hogan built relationships with wrestlers and developed long-term friendships with everyone. Jim Hellwig, however, was a complete loner and very introverted. These things were overlooked on Warrior’s rise to the top, but then placed under the microscope once he was on top.

However, WWE did him no favors AFTER Wrestlemania 6. Warrior’s opponents? Curt Hennig, Ted Dibiase, and Rick Rude. Warrior already disposed of Rude over the Intercontinental Title during 1989, yet that’s who Warrior had to feud with for the big spot on SummerSlam 1990. Ted Dibiase was deep in the midcard during 1989 and 1990 after almost becoming WWE Champion during 1988. Curt Hennig was also a midcarder, as he’d become Intercontinental Champion several times during 1990. Warrior was also repeatedly tagging up with the Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal) to take on all 3 members of Demolition repeatedly.

The “Warrior failed as champion” narrative falls apart when you see who he was wrestling during 1990. All midcarders. Why are you doing that with your World Champion?

What WWE should have done after Wrestlemania 6 was to immediately feud with Macho Man Randy Savage. Instead, the WWE let Warrior wrestle midcarders and waste 8 months as WWE Champion before he lost to Sgt. Slaughter at Royal Rumble 1991 when Macho Man, whom I just mentioned, interfered to begin the Warrior vs. Macho Man feud at Wrestlemania 7. By the way, the Savage vs. Warrior match at WM 7 was amazing and shows the missed opportunity of having Savage immediately challenge Warrior for the WWE Title during 1990. Savage, of course, was getting jobbed repeatedly to Dusty Rhodes during the first half of 1990.

I also thought that ”Rowdy” Roddy Piper could have been an opponent for Ultimate Warrior after Wrestlemania 6, too. Piper wrestled “Bad News” Brown at Wrestlemania 6 and that as a bit controversial with Piper painting half of his body black.

Either Savage or Piper would have been adequate feuds for Warrior and if needed, either man could have become WWE Champion to potentially set-up a big drawing Wrestlemania 7 with Hogan and Savage doing it again or Piper vs. Hogan, finally, with a one-on-one at Wrestlemania.

But instead, Warrior wrestled Hennig/Dibiase/Rude, who are each fine wrestlers but were midcarders then, and then lost the title to the COMPLETE JOKE Sgt. Slaughter character who became an Iraqi Sympathizer.

You can call Warrior a “failure” as WWE Champion all you want, but he was given no favors by WWE creative during 1990 after Wrestlemania 6. Then, he was given Randy Savage during 1991 and those guys blew the doors off of everything at Wrestlemania 7 with their Retirement Match which received 5-star ratings by many publications while the rest of the show, including Hogan vs. Slaughter, did not. However, after Wrestlemania 7, Hogan was the #1 pushed guy again.

Let me stress a few points…

If Ultimate Warrior was “such a failure”, then why did Vince McMahon bring him back at Wrestlemania 8?

If Ultimate Warrior was “such a failure”, then why did Vince McMahon bring him back at Wrestlemania 12?

If Ultimate Warrior was “such a failure”, then why did Vince McMahon want to bring him back during late 1997 as documented contract negotiations show?

The FACT is that the Ultimate Warrior was fed midcard opponents throughout the rest of 1990, while Vince McMahon had crazy ideas of presenting the Desert Storm events of the real world during 1990-1991 into the WWE. Vince convinced Sgt. Slaughter to turn heel and Hulk Hogan was just the more ideal “American Hero” to pit against Slaughter versus Hogan. Thus, pushing Hogan back to the top was more ideal than the Warrior.

WWE wasting Roddy Piper (who may have had movie or television commitments) or Randy Savage during 1990 just irks me. Missed opportunities there.

BUT, the fact remains that Ultimate Warrior drew houses and sold merchandise, with his numbers being the closest to Hogan versus any other wrestler. The problem is that Warrior may have peaked with the chase for the title, but he was given no help from creative back then to ever truly know.

The Ultimate Warrior last wrestled for the WWE during 1996, which was when the WWE was hitting the valley of their decline since that 1989 peak. Yet, 30 years later, Warrior’s merchandise still sells well to this day and anyone who grew up as a kid when Warrior was peaking still speaks highly of him. Further, yes, Warrior was a troubled guy, but he redeemed himself by being a happily married man and father. His WWE return during 2014 was emotional with his Hall of Fame speech, returning to Wrestlemania, and then returning to RAW to make his final promo ever.

Many have tried to duplicate Warrior, including WCW to openly lied to fans and presented them with Rick “the Renegade” Wilson instead of bringing in the Ultimate Warrior. Many, many independent promotion knock-offs. Yet, nobody can capture that lightning-in-a-bottle that Jim Hellwig brought with this amazing character. Best in-ring wrestler ever? Nope, but among the top larger than life characters ever.

Warrior 100% deserved to win the WWE Title and was worth the roll of the dice to defeat a potentially declining Hulk Hogan after 1989’s peak. The issues with the WWE were more internal, as WWE had some sharks in the water to deal with back then and possibly creative issues happening after Wrestlemania 5 (Zeus push and Iraqi War storyline, while wasting Randy Savage and Roddy Piper for over a year).

So for all of these YouTube accounts constantly bashing the crowning of the Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania 6. Most of you weren’t there or were in diapers during the peak Warrior years. He was OVER bigtime back then and moved so much merchandise. So it didn’t work out after Wrestlemania 6? Not much worked between 1990 and 1997. Did you watch Wrestlemania 9?

In my opinion, WWE wasted the talents of Roddy Piper and Randy Savage during the early 1990s, and they entirely botched the acquisition of Sid Justice as well. Sid could have been “the man”, but WWE’s usual desire to keep Hogan strong as a babyface got in the way. Brother. I also thought that the WWE blew the effectiveness of the Undertaker during those early years as some of those feuds became quite goofy with the “monster of the month” feuds. Why the WWE let Yokozuna get severely overweight is beyond me. Razor Ramon should have been pushed as a main eventer.

Point being, WWE’s creative was terrible during the early 1990s if your name wasn’t “Hulk Hogan”.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: Was it the Right Decision to Make the Ultimate Warrior Become WWE Champion at Wrestlemania 6? appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Now, let me get into a question that has been sent to me multiple times by loyal readers and that is about Conrad Thompson and his opinion about Roman Reigns being “overrated” and is like an “industry plant” would be in music (someone groomed for the position) but for WWE.

I’ve already answered this with multiple columns covering WWE’s current events. In my opinion, Roman was indeed “shoved down our throats” during the 2010s. Then, they finally turned him heel but not only that, gave him Paul Heyman and some creative freedom on promos. Add to that, the cool Bloodline storyline with the Usos, Solo, and Sami Zayn all playing important parts that literally fueled WWE’s happenings from 2021 through 2024 including adding the freakin’ Rock to the storyline and group during early 2024. After Wrestlemania 40, Roman Reigns hasn’t been the same effective draw without the group than he has been with the group. In addition to the price gouging, Roman and the Bloodline’s drawing ability hasn’t been there like it was through early 2024.

BUT – Roman Reigns learned from that 2021-2024 experience and has grown as a performer, and thus I believe he’s still the top WWE draw right now. We’re not getting to 50,000 Wrestlemania tickets or 30,000 SummerSlam tickets without him at the very top of the card against legitimate opponents in CM Punk and Seth Rollins. But again, shows during 2024 and 2025 with him on it and in prominent spots drew higher. Price hikes are there, but Roman isn’t as cool now as he was when he was the “head of the table” with the badass heel Bloodline group.

A more legitimate criticism would be “peaked” or “slightly past his prime”, but I’d argue that he has creatively suffered, too, because there was NEVER an adequate conclusion over what happened with the Bloodline during 2024. Oh, I know that Solo tried to take it over, but Roman was absent when the “new” Bloodline attacked Paul Heyman during late June 2024 and Roman didn’t appear until August. We never had that Rock vs. Roman “battle of the Bloodline” feud either, which could have made Roman into an absolute megastar had that headlined Wrestlemania 41 during 2025.

WWE’s two best matches for 2026 are, in fact, Roman vs. CM Punk from WM 42 and Roman vs. Seth Rollins from SummerSlam 2026. Who is the common denominator, again?

What I find more impressive about Conrad’s opinion is how much attention it caused. Congrats on a successful podcast network, Conrad, as your words appear to matter. Hopefully, everyone is buying stuff from your ads or getting their mortgages through you.

Truth is that I don’t listen to any of these “Ad Free” shows because the podcasts featuring Jeff Jarrett, Eric Bischoff, Jim Ross, or others feature more of Conrad’s opinions over what the wrestler or personality thinks. That, or it’s just reviewing what Dave Meltzer said in a past issue of the Wrestling Observer. I don’t need to hear the producer of the show hogging the spotlight, nor do I give a damn about the producer’s opinions when I’d rather hear the wrestler or wrestling personality’s opinion based on their past experiences or recollection. I didn’t tune in for Conrad’s two cents, and I believe Kevin Nash and Jim Cornette’s podcasts suffer, too, when their producers interject excessively about their opinions (though I think Brian Last complements Jim better than Conrad complements any of his podcast teammates). The only time that I don’t mind Conrad’s opinions is when he fact checks someone who is clearly lying or withholding information, such as Eric Bischoff. Eric deserves that!

Conrad has made his podcasts mostly about himself, hence why his opinion on Roman Reigns has become viral this week. While I applaud Conrad for giving such wrestlers or personalities a platform, he doesn’t have to spoon-feed them topics, walk them through something, or ask how they felt about what Dave Meltzer wrote 30 years ago. And then, insert his opinion. Jim Ross’s podcast was WAY BETTER when it was Jim on his own because his thoughts and his creativity driving where the podcast went. That, and he didn’t have someone interjecting their personal opinion on every topic.

That’s the issue… Not that “Roman Reigns is overrated”, but maybe we, as society, overrate the opinions of commentators or any shock value they may have. And that includes anything I say as a columnist, too, let’s be fair… Look at ESPN right now, as they are shedding actual journalists in favor of paying opinionated folks like Stephen A Smith or Pat McAfee more. What happens when people sour or get tired of their opinions, too? ESPN’s viewership is going to continue to swirl down the tubes.

It’s as Aaron Rift said on a recent episode of NoDQ Review… Conrad’s opinion about Roman Reigns might have been true during 2019, but is wrong now. Roman was a big part of that Bloodline group and yes, since 2024, he’s not as great as he was that year… BUT, I could say that literally about every wrestler on the WWE roster right now in comparison to 2024. WWE’s roster is tired, as there aren’t many key match-ups left to run and the wrestlers are looking worn out from this endless cycle of 2-3 hours of RAW, 2-3 hours of Smackdown, houseshows, and PLEs on the weekend plus traveling to each one. Nobody is drawing like they once did, and WWE lacks any younger wrestlers (or ones that could stay healthy) to replace the aging veterans.

Congrats again to Conrad for building a successful platform… But, just remember, with great power comes great responsibility. Your words are being played publicly and therefore, everyone is allowed to freely disagree with your opinions too and ridicule you if those opinions are ridiculous. For many who enjoy Roman Reigns and appreciate his work for the past 6 years, they have been very free to disagree with you.

Oh, and Conrad… You’re not a comedian. Your ad spots where you attempt to be funny are total cringe, especially those older ones with Manscape’s products. If you’re not legitimately funny, don’t try to be.

Onto your other questions.

ASK TITO: Your Questions, My Answer

Do you believe that Brock Lesnar has retired?

Nope… Between music and wrestling, we’ve witnessed many false retirements only for your old favorites to always come back. Hell, wrestling columnists do that too…

Until Brock Lesnar vs. Gunther happens, I’ll NEVER believe that Brock Lesnar has retired. Why? Because TKO can cut Lesnar a big check to wrestle 1 more match at any time. With WWE having up to 12 PLEs per year, there’s always a card that may need an impact player or a bigtime match-up, especially with the injury bug repeatedly biting or the need for guys like Roman to take so much time off.

I still project Gunther vs. Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 43 and maybe that will be it? I don’t know, but I think that improvised moment at Wrestlemania 42 has really lessened the effectiveness of if and when Lesnar retires.

*****

Do you believe that Oba Femi benefitted from working with Brock Lesnar?

I need more time to see what happens for the rest of the year and what feeds into 2027. Many are projecting Roman Reigns vs. Oba Femi at Wrestlemania 43, but I’m not there yet (still holding out hope that Rock vs. Roman happens).

To me, it seemed like Wrestlemania 42’s match was mostly well done to put over Oba and the push should have continued then. However, Lesnar jumped him and then defeated him to instantly kill that momentum. 4 months later, are things really better for Oba with a win over Lesnar at SummerSlam? I just don’t know and worry that damage has been done.

HOWEVER, I watched Oba Femi backstage on Season 3 of WWE Unreal. Maybe he was nervous around cameras backstage, but he seemed to lack confidence when talking with Triple H and others backstage. If you’re going to be a main eventer in WWE, you need to thump your chest and clearly be the men amongst men to take that top spot. I just don’t see that swagger with Oba yet in just his 5th year as a performer.

Remember from our above Roman Reigns discussion… Roman didn’t get good until 2020 with putting it all together, and that’s 8 years after his main roster debut and even further from his FCW/NXT work as a developmental talent.

We need to stop assuming that wrestlers like Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar are common. No, they are absolute freaks of nature who shouldn’t figure out MAIN EVENT pro wrestling that quickly. I don’t see Oba as that quick learner or someone who wanted it as bad as Angle did. He has the gigantic “larger than life” look, however, that you cannot teach… It’s up to having GOOD creative to make him look good moving forward, instead of backward like maybe the Lesnar feud did.

But again, I said that about Cody Rhodes during 2024 and Cody came out stronger after his “best of 3” Lesnar feud. But Cody was far more experienced and pulled out great matches consistently to make up for it.

*****

Thoughts on Chelsea Green becoming interim Women’s Champion?

I’m soooooo happy for her! She totally deserves it for being a unique and entertaining talent in the WWE. I’ve HATED the way she was just treated as a midcarder, despite her real toughness and height having to put over much smaller and not-as-tough opponents.

Could WWE have built her up stronger before winning the Women’s Title? Absolutely…

BUT, you cannot complain about Michael P.S. Hayes’s comments from WWE Unreal Season 2 on one hand and then complain when WWE actually gives you what you want with Chelsea winning a world title. The schizophrenic wrestling fans strike again, as they flip and flop on their opinions and are never clear on what they truly want.

I’m 100% for this and hope she has a satisfying run. She needs to start winning cleanly and consistently as champion and see where it goes. Women’s wrestling in the WWE needs a newer face at the top, as their roster is tired too with the same people on top for freakin’ years.

Chelsea deserves it.

*****

Do you think that WWE will get in trouble with Rockstar Games over attempting to trademark “Vice City”?

No. WWE is using it in a different context and I suspect that if there is an issue, WWE will resolve it with Take-Two Interactive who owns both 2K Sports (WWE’s video game publisher) and Rockstar Games.

In fact, I’m willing to bet that WWE already reached out to said corporate partners and cleared it.

This isn’t a big deal. WWE is using it in the context of a pro wrestling character with the last name of “Vice”, while Vice City is the Miami-like area in the Grand Theft Auto series. Used differently, won’t interfere much at all.

On a side note, GTA Vice City was such a fun game… Just silly, stupid fun back in its day.

*****

What do you think will happen with many AEW wrestlers with contracts up for renewal in 2027?

Samoa Joe, Okada, FTR, Hangman Page, Jon Moxley, Young Bucks, Mercedes Mone, and Kenny Omega each have their deals up during sometime within 2027. I expect each to re-sign with AEW if they are offered close or slightly higher money than what they are currently have.

Easier schedule for equal or better money… What’s not to love?

The one that is interesting would be Jon Moxley because he’s the third member of the Shield. There’s value in WWE trying to get him back and being reasonable with how his character is presented.

With the way WWE hasn’t cared about Tag Team wrestling on the main roster, I would have maybe suggested FTR jumps, but not anymore.

Kenny and Okada going to WWE would be interesting, but I just don’t see their AEW work being that appealing to WWE officials to want to import into their promotion.

I’d love to see Sasha Banks back in the WWE, as Triple H is now in charge and Vince McMahon was the problem before.

I predict most, if not all, will re-sign with AEW with WWE showing some interest in those mentioned above before AEW offers each money to stay.

And that’s your AEW coverage in today’s column.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post ASK TITO: Roman Reigns Overrated?, Brock Lesnar Retirement, Oba Femi, Chelsea Green, WWE Using Vice City, and AEW Contracts Up for 2027 appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Meanwhile, AEW All-In, which is AEW’s top event, has sold 33,000 tickets at Wembley Stadium.

But let’s compare WWE’s 2nd or 3rd event in SummerSlam versus All-In on reasonable terms.

All-In tickets are priced, after conversion, as low as $31 and at maximum, just under $2,000 for the floor.

WWE SummerSlam had it’s cheapest price around $70 (though discounted at the event drew near), but the close floor seats were over $3,000 but the “Elite” level seat ticket packages were selling at $25,000 for both nights ($12,500 per night).

Oh, and WWE SummerSlam sold for 2 nights in Minnesota… AEW All In is at Wembley Stadium, in a British market that is hungry for a big wrestling event and have been begging WWE for Wrestlemania to appear there. Wrestlemania would get Live Aid crowds is it there in England, but until then, English wrestling fans are settling for attending AEW All In.

But we’ve seen a downward spiral of AEW’s #1 event, haven’t we?

– AEW All In 2023 (1st year in Wembley): 72,265 per turnstile, but AEW claims 81,035 tickets were actually sold

– AEW All In 2024 (2nd straight year in Wembley): 46,476 turnstile, but AEW claims 53,385 tickets were actually sold

– AEW All In 2025 (Global Life Field where the Texas Rangers play): 21,973 turnstile, but AEW claims 27,245 tickets were distributed… WAY DOWN here in the United States as the top AEW event!

And now All In 2026, back at Wembley, just over 33,000, still declining each year AEW tries to host events in that massive stadium.

Ehhhhh, and you have the nerve to ridicule WWE SummerSlam’s attendance, despite its HIGHER prices being the main culprit to cause lower WWE attendance?

FACT is that AEW has lower ticket prices, yet being a cheaper option to attend a live wrestling show is NOT drawing fans. When you go beyond AEW All In, there’s a steep drop-off for its next Pay Per Views. For example, AEW Redemption on July 24th only drew 7,107 fans. At best, AEW Pay Per Views could draw up to 15,000 for usual staple events like Double or Nothing but again, this is at lower ticket prices.

AEW fans mocked Wrestlemania 42 for its 50,000 and 55,000 nights, but that’s with absurdly HIGH ticket prices charged by TKO and the stupid high prices to attend anything in Las Vegas. Yet, if you look at WWE’s numbers, they consistently draw 15,000 or more for EVERY PLE while obtaining around 10,000 or more for every RAW show.

WWE outdraws AEW on ticket sales by a WIDE MARGIN despite the absurdly high prices AND the supposed “better quality” of matches that AEW has, according to the heavily biased Wrestling Observer’s joke of a star system.

Seriously, this is a valid question to ask… If AEW has such great matches, why aren’t they drawing larger audiences to events?

Because they don’t have better matches than WWE. No-selling 450 splashes DOES NOT make a great match! Yeah, I saw that utter garbage from the Young Bucks, as one completely no-sold getting hit with a 450 splash from the top rope in order to immediately hit a superkick on someone else. THAT is what Dave Meltzer rates 5-6 stars in his toilet paper of a newsletter!

Let’s go through the numbers to prove a point that AEW is in DISTANT second place right now with the WWE. This isn’t even a competition at this point based on how LOW AEW is drawing on attendance and viewership.

AEW Attendance Numbers – Data courtesy of Wrestlenomics.com’s WrestleTix

AEW Dynamite Average Attendance per quarter:

2021 Q3 6.9K
2021 Q4 5.6K
2022 Q1 5.0K
2022 Q2 6.3K
2022 Q3 5.7K
2022 Q4 4.3K
2023 Q1 5.6K
2023 Q2 5.1K
2023 Q3 4.9K
2023 Q4 4.5K
2024 Q1 4.1K
2024 Q2 3.6K
2024 Q3 3.9K
2024 Q4 3.1K
2025 Q1 2.7K
2025 Q2 3.9K
2025 Q3 2.5K
2025 Q4 3.3K
2026 Q1 3.1K
2026 Q2 3.2K

AEW Collision Average Attendance per quarter:

2023 Q2 6.5K
2023 Q3 4.3K
2023 Q4 3.4K
2024 Q1 3.0K
2024 Q2 3.1K
2024 Q3 2.0K
2024 Q4 2.1K
2025 Q1 3.5K
2025 Q2 2.2K
2025 Q3 1.5K
2025 Q4 2.0K
2026 Q1 2.8K
2026 Q2 2.0K

During 2021 through 2023, could someone tell me what individual was with AEW back then? You know, a massive free agent signing that they convinced to come out of retirement? Oh yeah, CM Punk! The second they kicked him full out of AEW, attendance CRATERED.

AEW Dynamite went from consistently drawing 5,000 or more fans per show (often above 6,000) to now drawing below 3,300 fans per show. Holy cow!

AEW Collision is a complete joke on attendance. Drew when CM Punk was around initially at above 6,000 during 2023 to a terrible 2,000 through the 2nd quarter 2026.

Meanwhile, WWE RAW is drawing strongly since their Netflix deal at about 11,000 or more in attendance while Smackdown fluctuates between 8,000 and 11,000 in recent times. That’s a BIG GAP between what WWE attends on their television shows versus what AEW does on theirs.

Just as there is a BIG GAP on what WWE draws on their PLEs versus and AEW’s Pay Per Views. Go ahead and compare All-In to SummerSlam. Be my guest to compare AEW’s #1 show in a foreign land with pent-up demand versus WWE’s arguable #2 or #3 show in Minnesota (no offense to Minnesota, as it’s a nice place but not a wrestling hot bed). Again, All-In has 33,000 tickets sold versus Wrestlemania pulling in 50,000 one night and 55,000 for the next.

And AGAIN, the difference in ticket prices. WWE sells MORE tickets at HIGHER prices than AEW does with their LOWER prices.

If fewer are attending AEW events, then fewer are buying AEW merchandise, too. AEW doesn’t have a strong online merchant presence, either. WWE blows them out of the water with merchandise sales.

Next, let’s discuss AEW Dynamite VIEWERSHIP, with data courtesy of Gerweck.net who has been compiling reported viewership and ratings data for years from official sources.

4Q-2019 898,333
1Q-2020 883,000
2Q-2020 708,462
3Q-2020 832,929
4Q-2020 817,077
1Q-2021 775,154
2Q-2021 792,769
3Q-2021 1,103,538
4Q-2021 895,769
1Q-2022 1,000,154
2Q-2022 916,231
3Q-2022 998,615
4Q-2022 907,846
1Q-2023 906,538
2Q-2023 855,231
3Q-2023 884,615
4Q-2023 810,692
1Q-2024 810,462
2Q-2024 711,923
3Q-2024 694,615
4Q-2024 588,538
1Q-2025 618,077
2Q-2025 626,923
3Q-2025 610,769
4Q-2025 482,846
1Q-2026 628,250
2Q-2026 635,385

Another reality check, AEW fans. Since 2023, you’ve ben consistently under 800,000 viewers… Heck, since the midway point of 2024, you’ve been UNDER 700,000 average viewers.

And I know what you’ll tell me, “Cable/Satellite subscriptions are down”, blah blah blah blah blah.

True, they are down… But AEW’s attendance is significantly down, too.

They go hand in hand, folks… AEW’s inflection point is that very AEW All In 2023 first event at Wembley. THAT is their peak and consequently, the final show of CM Punk before Tony Khan terminated him.

Viewership, merchandise, and attendance are all DOWN since 2023. Statistical FACT!

And that’s despite signing free agents like Adam Copeland (Edge), Will Ospreay, Mercedes Moné, Kazuchika Okada, Bobby Lashley, & Ricochet since late 2023, while also giving the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega extensions as Executive Vice Presidents (EVPs).

Despite those signings and re-signings, all AEW numbers have declined and remain low.

Despite all of the high star-ratings that AEW mark newsletters give literally every AEW match, it’s not drawing in more viewers nor is it packing buildings. Only the Pay Per View shows draw decent live audiences, at best.

And I love the argument of “AEW is still on Pay Per View”. Really? AEW’s biggest show, AEW All In, draws around 180,000 buys while the rest of the shows draw between 100,000 and 140,000 buys. Like, does everyone realize that 180,000 buys used to be considered a BAD NIGHT for the WWE anytime it happened? We’re talking about those late 2000s ECW brand shows, too… Most of WWE’s shows sold over 200,000, even when they over-saturated the market or when quality began to drop during the 2010s.

At 180,000 buys or less, the Cable or Satellite companies are eating more than half of that.

AEW is currently receiving around $185 million per year for all of their shows airing on Warner Bros. Discovery and the deal runs through the end of 2027, with an option to add on another year to extend it through 2028. However, AEW obtained that deal from a declining Warner Bros. Discovery that has been getting killed by streaming services and was in dire need of live sporting content (well, besides the NBA). Now, AEW faces a real dilemma of the Ellisons buying Warner Bros. to shove into their Skydance/Paramount Global corporation and I wouldn’t be shocked that they shred Tony’s deal and call it a “merger & acquisition” expense to write off for tax relief.

Plus, I theorize that they want RAW on Paramount+ (or what remains when I’m guessing HBO Max merges with it) once Netflix opts out of the RAW deal by the 5th year through 2029 as Netflix wants that afternoon NFL deal that CBS currently has. With the Ellisons paying off these recent mergers, they might have to let the NFL go but could afford signing WWE instead and letting Netflix overpay for the NFL to harm that streaming service.

LOW AEW Dynamite viewership, plus how poorly AEW Collision draws, could ultimately cause AEW to receive the boot off of TBS/TNT and HBO Max especially once this merger completes (and it will, the justice department will enable it).

So yeah, LAUGH IT UP about WWE SummerSlam 2026… There’s a bigger iceberg heading your way, AEW fans. That, and your ship is led by a trust fund baby (though he’s a nice guy) named Tony Khan and completely incompetent fools with the Young Bucks as Executive Vice Presidents no-selling 450 splashes to hit more choreographed superkicks.

As greedy as TKO is and as much meddling as TKO performs, their guys at least have experience in business or wrestling. TKO executives Ari Emanuel and Mark Shapiro have years of experience running businesses or serving as agents to drum up business. Nick Khan managed so many deals for his client and is an experienced executive that has made WWE grow ten-fold since the late 2010s. Yes, Triple H married into the McMahon family, but he’s been with the WWE since 1995 but has been an executive of WWE since the early 2010s.

AEW is STILL the weaker promotion, by a wide margin, and with zero capability to ever chase the WWE… Unless the WWE comes crashing down to their lower level.

Thus, WWE made more on each night of WWE SummerSlam 2026 than AEW will with their flagship All In event in Wembley despite similar attendance.

FACT is that if WWE slashed their ticket prices at ALL venues, those arenas would be packed because the WWE’s product is desired right now. Put AEW’s prices on WWE events they’d sellout everywhere because demand is still STRONG for the WWE product but things like incomes, strained by high inflation everywhere, are causing fans to second guess attending WWE events at their higher prices.

So, there you go… Your ignorant taunting of tarps at WWE SummerSlam 2026 caused me to write an actual AEW column. Go ahead and attempt to refute my facts.

AEW is in second place and its fans have ZERO credibility to taunt the MUCH LARGER WWE for any reason whatsoever. AEW wishes that it could host a 2-night event that could draw over 30,000, as they struggle to do that with their very top show right now with lower ticket prices.

WWE > AEW by a mile.

And Triple H > Tony Khan on Creative, any day of the week.

WWE Roster > AEW Roster

WWE’s Matches > AEW’s Matches

But WWE can’t draw fans in Minnesota with absurdly high ticket prices. Yeah, you got the WWE right there.

In fact, I DARE AEW to take WWE’s pricing model and see how many fans would actually attend. Let’s see how dedicated AEW’s fans are with stupid high prices to attend events. Let’s see how you really measure-up to the WWE, AEW!

AEW is forever the juvenile promotion that had CM Punk drawing higher attendance and over 1 million viewers to AEW Dynamite, but decided to internally and externally attack him instead of hoisting Punk on their shoulders. WWE has Punk and is thriving with him.

AEW is the inferior wrestling promotion, period, compared to the WWE.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: For the AEW Fans Laughing at WWE SummerSlam 2026’s Attendance… Why Do You Ignore AEW’s Poor Numbers Since 2023? appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Did you get all of that?

OK… Since Vince McMahon resigned from the TKO Board of Directors and then sold most of his TKO shares during early 2024, he’s been in a few legal wrangles. For one, he quietly used WWE money to pay for the NDA settlements instead of his own and because he didn’t disclose these legal matters, it was a Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) violation of not informing investors of such legal risks. With a new administration in place, they settled out of court and Vince paid a fine and reimbursed WWE for some of the NDA settlements. Next up, the Justice Department investigated Vince for sexual abuse crimes, but a change in administrations caused this to be dropped as well. Finally, the civil case between Vince and Janel Grant, as Janel alleges Vince stopped paying the NDA settlement and Vince alleged she breached the NDA contract by speaking to her friend. They are now settling privately with an arbitrator and with that, Janel dropped the civil case.

So, with Vince McMahon now free of legal issues, there are actual wrestling marks who are literally BEGGING executives at TKO to bring Vince McMahon back!

That’s right, the SAME Vince McMahon whom they were attacking during the 2010s as “obsolete”, “senile”, and “out of touch” while accusing him of “micro-managing” everything (which I covered THIS COLUMN for the MANY bad creative decisions he oversaw)… They want him to return now.

Really? So you’re telling me that you want an 80 year-old (soon to be 81) guy to rejoin an office setting or a backstage area full of women? Again, you already denounced his 2010s creative work, so why would you want that back?

Many idiots are like “well, he’d be better than Triple H”? Really? Because the last 5 years under Triple H’s tenure has made MORE MONEY than the last 5 years under Vince’s full tenure. Sure, Vince had to deal with 2020, but WWE was sinking badly during 2017-2019 with RAW viewership dropping, merchandise sales declining, and attendance dropping. Remember, they began SHRINKING houseshow events during 2019 because of poor attendance.

Triple H is doing a great job on creative, especially when he has free reign with the pen as he had during 2022 and mostly during 2023 (Vince meddled a tad during that year). The PROBLEM is the corporate overlords within Endeavor who keep putting their hands into the pike at TKO and within WWE. For one, they’re deciding to price gouge WWE fans on ticket prices, merchandising, and handing them over to ESPN and Netflix to be price gouged there. Secondly, they are encouraging ANY wrestler who is represented by Endeavor’s folks via the WME agency to be pushed. Hence why Becky Lynch, Logan Paul, Nikki Bella, John Cena, Roman Reigns, and Cody Rhodes are always pushed and why they tried to shoehorn Pat McAfee into the Cody vs. Orton match at Wrestlemania 42. Ari Emanuel, who serves as TKO’s CEO and Pat McAfee’s agent, called Pat the “next Sylvester Stallone” and he was dead serious about it.

Further, COO Mark Shapiro of TKO said that TKO had “complete creative control” over the WWE. Exact quote.

Triple H is just a manager of the creative team, but he’s really a vessel to pass along communications from TKO executives or their analytics team on what to do next.

Thus, if Vince actually returns, he’ll be that vessel for TKO’s communications and analytics, too. And Vince already played that game by constantly kowtowing to USA Network, FOX, Mattel, and other corporate sponsors while bending the knee also to the Saudi government for their money.

But to desire to bring Vince McMahon back would be to accept, 100%, of the monster that he really is. By supporting his immoral and potentially illegal behavior, you’re an enabler and possibly a terrible person yourself.

Let’s just look at the Vince McMahon issues that we’ve heard about since April 2022. Just those, alone…

– Janel Grant for $3 million as a NDA settlement for conduct from 2019 through 2022 before Linda McMahon discovered the relationship threatened to divorce Vince. The relationship began as consensual with Janel, but quickly morphed into threesomes, defecations, and trying to offer her to other WWE employees (like Brock Lesnar and Michael P.S. Hayes) with John Laurinaitis taking the bait.

– Former female wrestler who left the company during the mid-2000s for $7.5 million, settled during 2018. Reportedly gave Vince oral sex for a push, but instead of pushing her character on television, he wanted more sexual favors. She refused and then her contact wasn’t renewed in 2005.

– Former female wrestler was sent naked photos of Vince during 2008 and Vince made sexual advances to her. Vince settled with a $1 million NDA settlement

– Female manager (not sure if that’s a performer or a corporate employee with the title of “manager”) was paid $1 million via NDA settlement to remain quiet about a sexual relationship with Vince McMahon.

– John Laurinaitis lost his job as Talent Relations EVP during 2012 due to “sexual misconduct” and resulted in a $1.5 million NDA. Bear in mind that John Laurinaitis was also involved in the Janel Grant case and is a big source of the “trafficking” allegation by Janel with Vince passing her on to Johnny Ace.

– In 1992, Rita Chatterton accused Vince McMahon of sexual assault dating back to 1986. If you watch the Vince McMahon documentary on Netflix, Vince admits they had a “consensual relationship” to acknowledge that they were together. During December 2022 before Vince McMahon could return to the WWE during early 2003, Vince chose to settle out-of-court for this ongoing legal threat to the tune of “multi-millions” with an undisclosed sum (Rita was asking for over $11 million in damages)

^ THAT is what you want returning to an office or backstage area with female employees around.

Really? Could you look your wives, sisters, mothers, or any other females in your lives and say it with a straight face “I support Vince McMahon”?

If you haven’t, please try…

We’ve established that Vince McMahon did a TERRIBLE job during the 2010s overseeing and micro-managing WWE Creative. Now, we’ve established him as a danger to other employees and a financial risk as well.

But wait, there’s more… I’ve only covered the issues that have come up since April 2022. What about the other problems in the past with Vince McMahon?

– Accused of steroid distribution during the early 1990s, indicted and went to trial during 1994. Yes, Vince McMahon was exonerated, BUT he totally let Dr. Zahorian freely roam WWE locker rooms and toured often in Pennsylvania just to ensure the good doctor could attend those events. Vince won the case because a poor performance by the prosecution and bad witnesses used, but there is ZERO dispute that Dr. Zahorian (a) sold steroids to wrestlers and (b) sold steroids personally to Vince. Vince and many wrestlers are on record saying they purchased steroids or other prescription drugs from Zahorian.

– Only had drug testing briefly after the 1994 trial. Wrestlers back on the gas during the late 1990s and first half of 2000s until Eddie Guerrero passed away in 2005. Then a “Wellness Policy” was created but it didn’t punish nor did it publicly announce any wrestlers caught with any substances or performance enhancements. It wasn’t until Chris Benoit’s murders/suicide and then the online pharmacy scandal afterward that caused the Wellness Policy to have more teeth beyond 2007.

– Utter refusal to acknowledge concussions were an issue for his wrestlers. Again, the wake-up call was Chris Benoit and then Chris Nowiski convincing Vince that brain injuries were serious. Years upon years of forcing wrestlers to work through concussions took untold damage on wrestlers, including Benoit. Wrestlers took pills to compensate or steroids to heal faster from injuries.

– The “Ring Boys” scandal of the 1980s and early 1990s, where younger boys who were employed to help set up WWE rings were sexually harassed and/or “exploited” by several WWE employees accused and were later fired.

– Jimmy Snuka’s controversy from 1983 when his girlfriend Nancy Argentino died of traumatic brain injuries in their shared hotel room. Vince is on record of talking with authorities for a prior domestic abuse claim regarding Snuka and Argentino. With the way it was believed that Nancy died due to “falling”, it’s suspected that some intervention occurred with Vince or WWE regarding this case. It was re-opened during 2015 and Snuka was finally indicted with a grand jury reviewing evidence. Later dismissed due to Jimmy Snuka being in poor health to stand trial.

– Accused of sexually harassing and groping a female employee at a tanning salon during 2006. While no charges were filed after the police were called, it’s unknown if Vince made any payouts. But, this is within the pattern of behavior.

– Admitted in Playboy magazine to “cheating” repeatedly on Linda McMahon. While this isn’t illegal, it’s just evidence of an aggressive sexual appetite that Vince has and would later financially pay for.

OK, Vince-loving marks… Do you really what this 80 soon-to-be 81 year old back who has a pattern of BAD behavior plus is actually TERRIBLE at his job as proven by the utter creative trash we saw during the 2010s that caused many wrestlers to leave the WWE out of utter creative frustration?

Go rewatch the WWE of the 2010s and tell me that you want Vince McMahon back. Did you enjoy those Jack Swagger, Miz, Alberto Del Rio, and Jinder Mahal pushes? Overpushing an inexperienced Roman Reigns as a babyface? You must enjoy the taste of a crap sandwich and enjoy it, as Vince is quoted as saying many times.

Hell, go rewatch the WWE of the 2000s… Lots of utter crap there. WCW/ECW Invasion, anyone? Katie Vick? Botched New World Order in 2002. Shoving oversized goofs like A-Train and Nathan Jones down our throats?

As someone on X/Twitter once put out (apologies, as I forget your name or where I’ve quoted you previously)… Guys like the Rock took utter CRAP that Vince McMahon gave them and made it look great. Because of guys like Rock and John Cena polishing the TURDS that Vince McMahon’s creative gave them, it created a false sense of belief that the creative was good but the wrestlers performing it were bad. Many wrestlers suffered because of the BAD creative given to them that they personally couldn’t overcome compared to top tier talents like Rock or John Cena who could turn any lemon into lemonade.

Look at the difference between Roman Reigns of the 2010s, written primarily by Vince McMahon, versus Roman Reigns of the 2020s who was written by Paul Heyman with some creative freedom given to Roman. BIG DIFFERENCE when your career isn’t micro-managed by a senile old man named Vince McMahon.

Yet, fools still want Vince McMahon to return to the WWE and run creative again.

Even with all of the evidence, including your own quotes about how you hated the 2010s WWE, ya still want him back.

The FACT is that all of these Vince McMahon LOVERS are in their late 30s or above, and they still think that the late 1990s Attitude Era felt like yesterday. YET, they always seem to overlook the Vince McMahon-led WWE of 2001 through early 2022. And I understand this idea, because at my age in the 40s, it feels like the 1990s were just yesterday, too.

HOWEVER – I DO NOT want to return to the Vince McMahon creative style of the 2010s. NO THANK YOU. And to me, the Attitude Era is long gone and can’t be replicated, ESPECIALLY with a Vince McMahon who is 26 years older than the peak years of the Attitude Era and with a lot more bad documented behavior since.

The current issue with the WWE is that TKO executives micro-manage everything, as their tenacles are all over UFC and ruined that brand since the mid 2010s. Now, they want to play in the WWE and control things there too.

Further, the issue about Triple H is NOT about Creative… It’s about talent. Triple H’s biggest weakness is talent development, as his system just doesn’t scout wrestlers well, nor do they train MALE wrestlers that well either. If TKO wants to be a hero, they’d segregate that duty from Triple H and put someone else in charge. WWE is too veteran heavy right now with the younger crop that came up through HHH’s system not paying off. By the way, talents like Bron Breakker or Tiffany Stratton were John Laurinaitis signings.

WWE’s roster is tired and exhausted from doing 2-3 hours of RAW per week, 2-3 hours of Smackdown per week, more houseshows again, and monthly 3 hour Premium Live Events (PLE). Their wrestlers in their late 30s or in their 40s are getting exhausted or injured from demanding schedule.

THAT is nothing Vince McMahon could solve and his creative would run into the same exact thing, except he’d push just 1-2 veterans at the top instead of 5-10 wrestlers.

So go ahead, keep praising Vince McMahon and being nostalgia for any photos you took with him… But you have recent years of sample creative data, like the 2010s, to review how Vince managed the WWE company and then you have all of these legal issues + terrible treatment of women.

Open your eyes and see how bad TKO is micro-managing the WWE right now, just like Vince McMahon micro-managed the WWE during the 2010s.

But hey, we live in a society today where many people look the other way at bad behavior as long as it serves some weird desire (like “owning” another group of people).

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: Calling Out Wrestling Fans Who Want Vince McMahon to Return to the WWE and TKO appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.