Many of my long-time readers have been asking “where have you been”, as my column volume has dropped off a bit. Well, for one, I write when I want… There’s no schedule for yours truly, as I just write when I’m feeling it… But, there’s some method to the madness as to why I took a few weeks off. No, it wasn’t for the 9/22/2026 column, as I’ve clearly followed that up with my 10/15/2026 column. I’ve been saying it for YEARS how dangerous putting on big events is within the Middle East. I’m not afraid of that topic.

No, I’ve been laying low because of my 9/16/2026 column that raised questions about AEW having a drug testing policy (or not) in the wake of Brian Cage admitting to using steroids and other PEDs on a podcast. Then, tragically on September 27, 2026, PAC from AEW (formerly known as Adrian Neville or Neville in WWE) passed away in his vehicle just after he performed at AEW’s All Out 2026. Almost immediately with the early indications of his death, as he was drooling and medication was found in his vehicle, I was immediately like “oh sh*t!”.

Now, in my column, I was making a point that because Brian Cage admitted to using steroids and other PEDs, that creates a question on if AEW has any kind of Wellness Policy. Then, I brought up quotes from wrestling insiders, like Dave Meltzer and Sean Ross Sapp, who indicated that there may not be testing but that AEW contracts state a “right to test” as needed. My only point was to bring up the FACT that Brian Cage caused a “smoking gun” situation, as I would have never wrote that column if he said nothing. But he did, and I wanted to simply question if AEW was protecting its wrestlers.

I guess it’s a sigh of relief… But it’s a shame PAC is no longer with us in the end. From all indications, he was a good locker room guy, always easy to work with, and very talented. In my opinion, both WWE and AEW could have utilized his talents more as he had the ability, the look (though shorter), and was charismatic inside the ring to pull off the “larger than life” needs that pro wrestling desires. However, he did 6 years in WWE and 7 years in AEW, along with a 10 year career before joining WWE. That’s pretty good imprint on the business, folks.

His death was officially ruled as bronchial asthma. If left undiagnosed or untreated, it is indeed lethal as asthma is inflammation of your airways.

Now, here’s what I’m curious about… A Wellness Policy isn’t just about drug testing. In fact, it’s often a program offered by most corporation for insurance purposes as a means to help get costs down. WWE implemented one for drug testing specifically, following the death of Eddie Guerrero in late 2005 and then ramped up its seriousness during mid 2006 due to Chris Benoit’s downfall and then the online pharmacy stuff right afterward. To a normal company, it’s usually bloodwork and a physical examination. WWE’s Wellness Policy did both the examination and the drug testing, and in FACT, it saved MVP’s life when he was in the WWE and an examination found an unknown heart condition that he’s treated ever since.

THIS is why ALL pro wrestlers in a corporate wrestling setting NEED TO BE INSURED and with that, required to have regular physical examinations.

The physical activity of performing, along with maintaining your look, makes it essential to require your performers to be examined for any health reasons.

Treat wrestlers like human beings and employees, not bulls going against a matador. They aren’t just “independent contractors”, and often times, you have to save people from themselves.

There are MULTIPLE studies out there that show men, in particular, refuse to see a doctor. Just doing various Google searches of various studies shows that 50% of men refuse to do annual examinations, 65% of men will avoid going to the doctor unless they absolutely have to, and men are more unlikely to see a doctor versus women by a big margin of various polls (ranging from 33% to 50%, depending on the survey).

I don’t know what happened to PAC. Was he diagnosed previously with asthma or not? Did he just forget to take his treatments? Did he forget his inhaler when an episode came up? I don’t know… BUT, if you have performers putting their bodies on the line, you should require regular examinations of the human beings you’re employing.

We don’t have the full facts here, but I strongly implore both WWE and AEW to TAKE CARE OF YOUR WRESTLERS and PROTECT YOUR WRESTLERS FROM THEMSELVES.

And for the record, I HAMMERED the WWE about their LACK of drug testing for years during the 2000s. I was sick and tired of so many wrestlers dying due to enlarged hearts, mixing pills and alcohol, and just dying so young. It was a regular occurrence. On top of that, WWE didn’t care about when wrestlers had concussions. They forced wrestlers to work through head trauma and in my opinion, that destroyed Chris Benoit and put him on the path of destruction. He was already intense naturally, but lacking any concussion protocol and a serious drug testing policy just poured gasoline on someone with the bad genetic make-up who would either kill or get killed because there was no “off” switch to pushing his body to the limits.

However, WWE implemented the serious Wellness Policy during 2006 and then later implemented a concussion protocol. That has SAVED LIVES.

PAC’s death is a teachable moment… Wrestling promotions need full Wellness Policies that examine their wrestlers regularly, especially based on the physical stress that performing, maintaining, and traveling causes. Lots of mental health issues, too, of living out of your suitcase and working long hours on top of all of that.

Personally, I’ve tried to rid some of my own stubbornness of seeing doctors and they’ve found a few things here in my 40s that I’m working on and I’ve seen real improvements. Your bloodwork can paint a real picture of what’s going on internally, while being honest with a doctor of anything that’s ailing you could also help. Just find the right doctor, as many are too quick to prescribe something versus actually recommending a lifestyle change that could be more beneficial.

I’m just going to tell you this truth as someone who is rounding the bases of his 28th year as Mr. Tito here in late October… This pro wrestling stuff gets REAL often.

You spend so much time, become loyal, and get emotionally invested in wrestlers that it’s a literal gut punch when someone passes away. I am seriously not over Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero’s deaths, while Chris Benoit’s stuff bothers me to this day. I’m still sad about Brodie Lee (Luke Harper) passing away suddenly, as he had a lot of runway left in his career. Sid Eudy was one of my favorite wrestlers, and it was so sad to hear him passing of cancer but then seeing WWE piss on him for his Hall of Fame induction. 2-time champion deserved better than what the WWE gave him.

But damn, we’re enduring lots of hard hitting stories… The deaths, but literally all of the crap involving Vince McMahon and his scandals. There’s WAR in the Middle East and we’re debating whether WWE should have events right in the middle of that region where an airport was bombed. Just scandal after scandal, as I’ve literally seen it all for the past 28 years as Mr. Tito and almost 40 years as a wrestling fan.

YET, the highest of the highs of pro wrestling always keep us hooked… We’re always chasing that high because when wrestling clicks on all cylinders, there is NO better form of entertainment. Lots of lows with wrestling, too, such as what I mentioned above but many bad matches, many bad pushes, many bad angles, and many awful and unfunny comedy segments… BUT, because the highs are so good, we keep coming back. I’ve tried to put down the Pro Wrestling AND Mr. Tito crackpipe down multiple times, but then I need another hit…

RIP PAC. Thank you for all that you’ve done for pro wrestling.

Onto your questions.

ASK TITO: YOUR QUESTIONS, MY ANSWERS

What are some of your favorite PAC/Neville matches?

I’m not the best person for this question, as since I cut Cable during 2015, I’ve watched most of the WWE television on condensed Hulu or YouTube or watching highlights on Premium Live Events. Because of that, I’ve missed chunks of Neville’s WWE career. Without cable, I’m also not watching as much AEW as I could and am also reliant on clips for them on televised shows. However, I’ve watched most of AEW’s Pay Per Views through 2024 and probably all of WWE’s on WWE Network during his career.

For AEW, I always thought PAC had good in-ring chemistry with Kenny Omega for some reason. They just clicked perfectly and seemed to know how to properly work with each other. I hate to admit this, but I LOVED the PAC match with Orange Cassidy. By far, Orange Cassidy’s best match and PAC sold everything perfectly to make the match look legit but also feeling like the perfect comedy match.

His match in NXT with Sami Zayn in late 2014 incredible and worth checking out. That was probably my favorite WWE/NXT match that he had. I’m a tad hazy remembering anything that stood out beyond that peak match, as he was soon joining WWE and they didn’t really use him other than the Cruiserweight division that WWE didn’t care about.

*****

(From my boy Thurl): What are your thoughts on Max Caster being terminated from TNA by rapping about the Riyadh Airport being bombed?

There’s a line in pro wrestling… Sometimes it bends, sometimes it doesn’t. However, I would suggest that the line that should NEVER be crossed is making jokes about DEATH. People died as a result of the Riyadh airport bombing. He made a joke about that, and hence why TNA (maybe with WWE coaxing them because of their relations and WWE/TKO’s relations with Saudi Arabia) terminated him. Max has been very apologetic because he instantly blew his TNA opportunity, while probably never landing a WWE spot as well. The AEW door closed before that, but is probably welded shut, too.

To me, my question is “where are the adults in the room?”. For one, Max should think about what he says on screen. Joking about an incident where people died maybe crosses that line… However, who produced that match and that rapping segment from TNA’s standpoint? Did they ask Max about what he was going to rap about or did they give him full freedom to say whatever he wanted to say? Either scenario creates issues, as TNA should assume liability if they knew he was going to say that but if they gave him freedom, it’s as I said above, sometimes you have to protect wrestlers from themselves. Max thought it was a quick way to get heat, versus thinking of something more clever to say instead. He went for the short-term gain versus the long-term one, and it cost him a job and probably forever ruins his reputation in the business.

That said, I think he should be given another chance… Many wrestlers have done FAR WORSE and were allowed to return. He said words, which I think could be corrected.

Problem with Max Caster is that he worked for TNA who has relations with WWE. WWE is bed and about to send their wrestlers to Saudi Arabia who recently had their airport attached by Houthis fighting a war on behalf of Iran. If TNA wants to do business with WWE, they’ve got to play by WWE’s rules…

I think if you were a promotion like GCW or JCW, I’d sign Caster immediately and advertise that he’s “unfiltered” but behind the scenes, have someone clear what he says first just to, again, “protect a wrestler from themself”. But the fans won’t know that a producer is filtering him slightly and it will work, and Max Caster will become a star there.

*****

What are your thoughts on the 2026 Money in the Bank briefcase winners?

I agree with Tiffany Stratton winning, disagree with Penta.

Tiffany is still young, I didn’t think she had a good run with the Women’s Title before, and she’s very talented and deserving. And good lord, she regularly breaks the internet with her social media photos and that stuff still matters. Personally, I thought she was above and beyond the top wrestler in that match and most deserving to win the briefcase.

Penta is Jey Uso all over again. Very popular merchandise seller and a WWE fan favorite, but lacks the intangibles to grow the business beyond the existing WWE fanbase. That, and he’s too reliant on his style within his matches and if an opponent can’t work his style of match, it falls apart. Remember when Penta debuted and everyone applauded him as looking tremendous? Yeah, because Chad Gable sold everything like a champ and does that with everyone.

If you’re going to hold a briefcase with a world title shot, the person holding it should be world title worthy. A main eventer has intangibles in terms of charisma, look & size, personality, mic skills, psychology, and athletic abilities that is magnetic towards ANY type of consumer, not just dedicated wrestling fans. You already have the wrestling fans’ money, as they are marks and they’ll keep eating the BS sandwiches you feed them. Hence why we’ve had MANY bad world champions… But if you want to grow the business, the world champion has to absolutely WOW a non-wrestling fan.

I just think a guy in a mask who can do flippy moves has been done repeatedly, and also, better by other performers. He’s good, but just not exceptional to be on the very top of the card that draws in big houses. I don’t mind him maybe getting a World Title shot on RAW or Smackdown, where he’d lose in a good fight… But to be positioned to actually win the title and especially with the CHEAP MITB cash-in, I just don’t think it’s going to work. He needs to do more or expand his skillsets to take that next step beyond literally the same performer we saw in AEW who is very dependent on his opponent overselling his complicated moves or stunts.

You’ll call me a “madman” for that take, but when he’s another short-term champion and resembles Jey Uso, you’ll thank me for being right.

*****

Do you believe that Gunther has been used properly?

For the most part, the WWE has used the maximum of his abilities. That said, I’d argue that losses to Jey Uso and Sami Zayn on very big stages were particularly damaging to Gunther and during the timeframe of those losses, we should have had a match against Brock Lesnar then. Instead, he loses to both Zayn and Jey and we’re supposed to patch that damage together by defeating two older guys in Bill Goldberg and John Cena?

BUT, I don’t see “all time great” stuff with Gunther. Great performer and great heel, but we’ve seen the same schtick for many years now. He’s dominant but then the arrogance gets the best of him to cause him to lose. Rinse and repeat… However, I don’t think he has many more dimensions to his character other than that smug or dominant heel. Or, maybe because he was denied an opportunity to work toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar, he didn’t get a chance to turn “serious mode” on for an entire match.

I don’t know, folks… He’s a two-time World Champion and that shows WWE has used him reasonably well. I struggle arguing against that point, but I think the opportunity to really get him over with creative “smoke & mirrors” was to have him remain Intercontinental Champion and not lose it to Sami Zayn and then go on to challenge Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar to unite the titles. THAT could have helped him… BUT, without that serious moment, he’s got nothing but the same character that we’ve seen for years and it’s not drawing as well as it could.

Gets into my overall point, as described with Penta above, is WHO ARE YOU PUSHING, WWE? With due respect to the World Titles, they are NOT participation trophies. Yeah, I understand wanting to reward Sami Zayn and Jey Uso for their hard work, BUT there are plenty of great midcarders in the WWE Hall of Fame who NEVER got even close to the WWE Title. Anyone care to debate the greatness of Razor Ramon, Jake “the Snake”, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Big Bossman, and many others with me? You can have a great career and not win the World Title, but I think that WWE during the 21st Century doesn’t think that and that’s why business has declined since the end of the 20th century.

*****

Do you think that the “Street Fighter” movie will propel Cody, Roman, or other WWE careers into film?

Obviously, Hulk Hogan and then especially the Rock and John Cena have paved the road for “larger than life” character to easily translate their work onto the big screen.

Street Fighter is projected, as of early Sunday morning when I write this, for a $31 million opener. That would be a “disaster” if this were a Marvel film that was made for $200 million, but Street Fighter was made for just $82 million. So, it will do OK and I figure it will grow further on streaming and disc purchases.

This is where I’ll reveal myself… I was a hardcore Street Fighter 2 arcade player when I was a young kid, especially when the Championship Edition was released and the expanded roster occurred. I remember getting the issue of Swatpro, which was Gamepro’s secrets and tips side magazine, that revealed all of the special moves of the game for the first time. I memorized that thing and then took my knowledge to the arcade. All of the local gamers, who didn’t figure out the moves already, were like WTF when I was flying across the screen repeatedly as M. Bison or throwing fireballs or uppercuts all day long as Ryu (preferred him over Ken).

I’ll give kudos to Cody Rhodes for looking like Guile, but the attitude of the character is just a tough off. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns played Akuma in Street Fighter… HEY ROMAN, Akuma does NOT have a beard! Shave that damn thing to look the part in the movie! Otherwise, it’s Roman Reigns playing in a Street Fighter movie. “Oh, I can’t jeopardize my look for WWE shows”, the hell you can’t! This is a major movie and you need to look the part to make this a credible effort. It’s about as dumb as Jean Claude Van Damme barely even trying to look like Guile in the first Street Fighter movie effort.

It’s when movies compromise with actors, that’s when films go to crap.

Big 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, and even the fans somewhat agree that this movie is just OK with 80%.

Back in the day and if you ever encounter me to play Street Fighter 2, Ryu and M. Bison were my guys though I love to play newbs as E. Honda just to mess with them.

As time will tell, I think that CM Punk and Roman Reigns playing a pair of animated zebras in Zootopia 2 will have a bigger impact than sort of looking like trademark characters in the Street Fighter series. Many of these video game to live action series transactions just don’t work, as we’re on multiple tries for Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and now Street Fighter. Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat’s appeal is that they are multiplayer games and that’s why they sell. Their backstories are secondary. So far, Nintendo is doing OK with the animated Mario films, but the real test will be the Legend of Zelda game next year. I think that will succeed because Zelda is about the story more so than the gameplay.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post ASK TITO: PAC Passing Away, Max Caster’s Promo in TNA, WWE MITB 2026 Briefcase Winners, Gunther’s Creative, and Much More appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

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In the coming weeks there just seemed to be bad news coming every few days in the wrestling world. We’ve had more tribute shows that we never want to see, and it’s been horrible for the wrestling world to be in Grief. Once Andy Williams passed away I didn’t feel as invigorated as I did, and by the time we got to the untimely passing of PAC I just didn’t really feel like I could get excited about wrestling anymore.

I’m not sure why but Wrestler’s deaths just hit me harder than most. Other people in entertainment I am obviously sad about, but when it’s a wrestler I just clam up. I think it’s because having immersed myself within wrestling as a fan and watched countless hours and listened to years’ worth of podcasts I understand just what a sacrifice it is to be a Wrestler. And that when leaving your family for so long the locker room becomes their second family. The Bonds forged over years over a common understanding of what they are sacrificing. So, when I hear Excalibur almost unable to speak through grief I can’t help but take a pause in my own fandom to take some time to process.

I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for the Guys and Girls across wrestling this past month, my heart goes out to them all and of course to the families and friends of all the wrestlers we have lost over the past month or so.

I have however over the past couple of weeks been finding my groove again. So, Let’s get straight into this week’s column, I got Wrestle Dream predictions first up and then some musings on the 946’s presentation.

Here we go…..

Wrestledream Predictions

Chris Jericho vs Nick Wayne

This is not a match for me. I’ve been cold on Jericho for a number of years, and I am also not completely sold on Nick Wayne. He’s good and he has a lot of upsides, but I haven’t seen anything from him yet to suggest he’s going to surpass the current level of top stars. It does make complete sense for Jericho to try and coach him through some matches and Nick will learn a lot. Jericho is the face here so he will go over this Saturday.

Winner – Jericho.

Best Of Five Match One: FTR vs. Motor City Machine Guns.

Inject this into my veins. When we had the collection of tag teams all stand in the ring during All In this is exactly the kind of fall out I wanted. Two teams going at it to see who’s the best. Toss a coin on match 1, I have an its landed on….

Winners – Motor City Machine Guns

AEW World Trios Championship Two Out Of Three Falls Match: Swerve Strickland and The New Level vs. Hangman Page and Brodido

Match of the night here. Mark it down I called that. This will be the chance for the New Level to really showcase what they can do under the new AEW freedom they will have in ring. I can see Swerve and the New Level going over here as I can’t see what you can really do keeping the Good the bad and the Ugly together.

Winners – The New Level and Swerve

AEW National Championship Match: Andrade El Idolo vs. Tommaso Ciampa.

I’m so intrigued to see what Ciampa can bring out of Andrade. Tomasso brings such a rough and solid style, and I think Andrade doesn’t get a chance to get that side of him out enough. Expect a really good match here and I can see a returning MJF costing Andrade the title.

Winner Tommaso Ciampa

AEW TBS Championship Match: Persephone vs. Hyan vs. Dani Luna vs. Queen Aminata.

I was lucky enough to catch Dani Luna at an ATTACK! Wrestling show in Cardiff back in September just before she moved to AEW, they haven’t really introduced her to audiences quite enough yet but I’m hoping this match solidifies how good I know she is. I can’t see her winning though, I think Persephone retains.

Winner – Persephone

AEW Continental Championship Match: Jon Moxley vs. Mark Davis.

Mark Davis got the big pin on Wednesday so there’s no way Moxley is losing here. Mox wins and he ‘pushes through’ that segment on Wednesday Dynamite was heartbreaking Mox deserves to retain here.

Winner – Jon Moxley

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: The Young Bucks vs. Kevin Knight and Kyle Fletcher

More tag team wonderfulness to gorge on. The Buck have only just got the belts, and I can’t see what Kevin Knight and Fletcher would do with them. If Fletcher is in a tag team I’d rather see Aussie open reunite. But Fletcher needs to get back in the mix of singles competition to.

Winners – The Young Bucks

AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Mercedes Mone vs. Thekla.

Thekla must be in the running for most improved in 2026 her whole demeanour has been entertaining, and I think she is the one in the division who has gained the most from Toni Storm being on the sidelines.

Mercedes has only just won the title, and I may have held this match off until at least Dynasty in February. But now we are here Mercedes is retaining but Thekla will be able to talk her way out of this loss being damaging.

Winner – Mercedes Mone

Clockwork Carnage AEW World Championship Match: Will Ospreay vs. Samoa Joe vs. Mike Bailey vs. Adam Copeland vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Ricochet vs. Darby Allin

I’ll be honest I’m not sure anyone knows how this is going to go down. I thought way back when that the casino gauntlet battle royal was a poor concept on paper, but it ended up being one of my current favourite match types. I hope this match goes the same way.

I expect a lot of off shoot feuds to be created off the back of this match and of course my boy Will Ospreay will retain.

Winner – Will Ospreay

Now onto the main section of this weeks column……

The 946 have the Keyes to success

If there is one huge criticism I have about all of Wrestling on TV across a multitude of companies is that it has gotten completely predictable. Yes you get great matches these days, the production is top notch and at times you get big stars announced in advance. But it all feels very passive these days. The matches tend to follow a pattern based on where the storyline is and where its going. Maybe it’s my misty eyed nostalgia coming through but I always felt that for the longest time Raw in particular was such a can’t miss show because there was always something going on. Even in its darkest days during the mid-2000’s there were times when you felt an air of unpredictability, like someone could show up at any time or that there would be some sort of wild set piece that you could gawp up.

At present I know I’m going to watch Raw, Dynamite, Smackdown, Collision and the format will be very by the numbers. Do I love the fact that the standard of a lot of the matches is far higher than they ever have been I worry we are coming to a bit of a saturation point where we are desensitised to bangers coming out every week on free television.

I hadn’t realised where my slight dissatisfaction was coming from until a few weeks ago when Royce Keyes stormed the Raw ring with OPM. There had been no leaks about the group and so their presence elicited an actual shocked response in me. I thought they looked great together and Keyes seemed immediately more comfortable. And While their presentation isn’t the most original (there are huge Shield and Death Rider vibes to them!) as they hit the ring and continued their beatdown there was an energy coming off the screen that hadn’t been there for such a long time.

Fast forward a week and we had the awesome throughline of the night where Jaida Parker showed up to turn on Jey Uso and align herself back with her NXT brothers. These segments showed to me that backstage angles and stories when done correctly add soe much to storylines and shows. By the end of the night Jaida seemed like a bigger stage and the 946 looked like they were a step ahead of the bloodline.

Then the big one, having blacked out his social media after months of either not being used or being second fiddle to Trick Williams and Baron Corbin we saw Carmelo Hayes make his surprise debut of the newest member of the 946. In new attire he too looked like he belonged alongside everyone, it was yet another reason to pop in your living room. The tone is now set every time the 946 are around there is now an air of expectation of where things will go, will we see another wild brawl? Will we see them finally get their ass kicked? Will we see another new member added? (Damian Priest anyone?) We don’t know what’s coming next and that’s a good thing.

I’ll be intrigued to see how the momentum can be kept up here on Raw. Historically the HHH booking era sees people start hot have an angle and then completely dissipate, I’m very cautious of that happening here but let’s hope I’m wrong. I’m realistic in that I know we are far removed from the Zamboni crashing through the stage era of wrestling, but just some more angles where we get some elevated entertainment would be nice. I hope the 946 is the start of a slight philosophy change.

But as always, what say all of you? Do you like the current format of TV? Have you enjoyed the presentation of the 946 thus far? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your wrestling this weekend.

Until next time,

Cheers,

The post The 946 are bringing the right feeling back to Raw – By Wrestle G appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Same premise, minus the social issue distraction… But for both Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), there exists more fighters hurting themselves in the octagon and more wrestlers tanking bumps in and outside of the ring than there are TKO executives. MMA fighters and pro wrestlers don’t realize how much leverage they truly have, especially household name wrestlers who don’t have their careers dictated by actual wins or losses like UFC fighters.

Thus, when your TKO executives still want you to fly to and wrestle at Saudi Arabia for the WWE Crown Jewel event, the wrestlers could band together and REFUSE TO PERFORM. What could TKO do if ever WWE superstar grouped together and refused to be sent in an area of severe danger.

You know, like Saudi Arabia where the Houthis have recently attacked oil pipelines and the airport in Riyadh, home of both WWE Crown Jewel and 2027’s Wrestlemania 43.

The very airport that WWE superstars will arrive at was attacked. On October 10th and 11th, multiple strikes occurred that caused up to 14 people killed and a reported 300 who were wounded by the blasts. That is dangerous…

One would think, “the United States will protect WWE from harm”. Wait, isn’t Saudi Arabia a massive ally of the United States and also a bigtime trading partner? Wasn’t the entire premise of 1990-1991’s Desert Storm to protect the possibility of Saudi Arabia being invaded after Iraq invaded Kuwait? Saudi is a major investor in United States businesses, too.

I wouldn’t quite guarantee safety… Yes, the United States still has one of the most superior militaries in the world and has the biggest missile stock, but we’re in a day and age where drones and other types of missiles can be launched or fired from mobile sites. This is a different type of warfare, but I’d also argue a different type of combatant, too. It’s one thing when you’re up against a ruthless dictator, but it’s another matter when their dictator is also another the highest ranking religious cleric. When you’re willing to die in the name of your religion, no other Fs will be given about human life.

The Middle East has been a dangerous place for decades, and United States involvement with Israel, the 1953 Iranian coup, placing bases throughout the Middle East, and fighting multiple wars, unjust or not, has made the region feel an anti-American sentiment. Iran has had issues with the United States since the 1953 coup that overthrew an elected leader and it’s been rocky relations with us ever since in that region. Then, since June of last year and especially since late February if this year, the United States has engaged in serious military strikes against Iran that saw their leadership destroyed and martyred. In return, Iran has ramped up its own attacks against any Middle Eastern country favorable to the United States, including Saudi Arabia, and has encouraged any proxy group to attack on their behalf, like the Houthis located in Yemen which is South of Saudi Arabia.

They attacked the airport… Where is the seriousness by TKO executives about this situation?

Nope, gotta protect that massive Saudi Arabia deal that guarantees $25 to $30 million per regular event, while paying WWE $100 million for Royal Rumble 2026 and $250 million for Wrestlemania 43.

What the TKO and/or Endeavor/Silver Lake folks think about is how the TKO stock could tank if WWE has to move locations of those Premium Live Events (PLE). Meanwhile, they aren’t thinking of the total disaster TKO could have if, and I pray this would never happened, is if the Crown Jewel event is hit with an attack. In addition to the WWE wrestlers, losing Saudi Arabia fans would be a tragedy as well. Any loss of life would be a tragedy. By still having Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, WWE is placing its own wrestlers, production staff, and fans from Saudi Arabia at risk.

These are serious times and we need serious leadership to make decisions that protects lives.

So far, TKO has said nothing about moving the event…

And that proves what a joke TKO and its executives truly are.

All of these revenues generated from massive TV deals, Saudi Arabia, and severely price gouging WWE fans for live events and merchandise, yet TKO has the NERVE to ask its performers to take a 50% paycut and/or be terminated. Meanwhile, if you look at TKO’s proxy statements, its executives are pulling in the big bucks by sitting in a boardroom while their performers take the punishment inside and outside of the ring.

Right now, WWE’s World Champions are guaranteed to be there, with Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn and Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green with other matches to be determined later.

Those 4, alone, should go to WWE and TKO’s management and outright REFUSE to perform at this event due to safety concerns.

Now, we all know that Roman Reigns will likely get private jet treatment to transport to the event and that usually occurs at a different part of the airport or in a secure location. Each of the wrestlers, at minimum, should demand equal treatment. Again, the airport in Riyadh was attacked…

But if Roman Reigns values his own life and wants to cement the respect of the entire WWE locker room, he should take a stand and demand the event be moved. Sure, WWE might lose $20-$30 million this time, but Roman and the entire roster will be alive on November 7th to perform somewhere in America. World Title vs. World Title matches will draw here in the United States, and thus, WWE and TKO won’t lose that much money. Then, 6 months later, you can re-assess Wrestlemania 43.

There’s just too much danger in this region and lots of anti-American sentiment per recent foreign policy decisions on top of decades of things bubbling in the Middle East. It wasn’t safe before 2025 or 2026 and even Saudi Arabia, itself, had issues with its culture to be a questionable place to host WWE events. Again, think about that plane ride where WWE superstars weren’t allowed to leave the country for over 1 day or think about how female WWE wrestlers have to look when wrestling at their events. Saudi aside, the hostilities of neighboring countries has always created risks for WWE hosting events there and that was probably part of the premium that gave WWE $20-$30 million per event and pricing in $100 million for Rumble 2026 and $250 million for Wrestlemania 43.

This airport strike changes the game… Way too close to where Crown Jewel and eventually Wrestlemania 43 will be.

Safety first, as a WWE event could be a major target with it being a major American brand.

The TKO executives should be ashamed of themselves for not already moving the Crown Jewel event.

If Saudi right now is so safe, then the TKO executives and their full extended families should all attend the event to make a point. Come on, if life is so precious, then prove it by placing your entire family on a plane and sitting in that arena while chaos is happening in that region. Lead by example instead of continuing to siphon funds as fat cat executives while the wrestlers continue to bump and wrestle in dangerous environments.

And for the record, I’ve been consistent on protecting wrestler safety as noted in my column on September 22nd after the Houthis hit the oil pipeline and when the United States issued a travel advisory. Crazy how much things have escalated since.

Wrestlers HAVE THE LEVERAGE because without them, there are no events. The top wrestlers (Roman, Cody, Punk, etc.) need to protect the entire roster and join them in standing up to the clowncar known as TKO executive team who only cares about making themselves rich. The reason why WWE has never unionized is because top stars buddy up to WWE management and are essentially paid more money to be the best company men possible. Hulk Hogan ratted out Jesse Ventura when he tried to unionize before Wrestlemania 2, and Vince since took care of the top guys while thinking the midcarders were disposable.

Well, now this isn’t about unionizing. This is about safety and being potential political and religious targets in a region that has been violent. Stand up to the arrogant TKO management and protect your co-workers from harm’s way! REFUSE to perform at WWE Crown Jewel!!!!!

Remember, WWE wrestlers… There are more of you than there are of them (TKO executives).

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

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My morning ritual is sacred to me. For more than two decades, I was up at 4:00 a.m. with or without an alarm for work. Now, my ritual goes like this:

Wake up by 4 a.m. If I don’t, I have a 13-pound black cat named Loki softly headbutting me into consciousness to let me know it’s time to feed him and the other two cats. After I feed them, I put on a pot of coffee, then take a joint, incense, and my tablet to the bathroom.

That’s where the real ritual begins. I smoke, meditate, and set my mind for the day. I let the noise settle. Then I kick back, run a bath, and either read a book in the tub or listen to an audiobook. It is my quiet hour before the world gets a vote.

Somewhere in between all of that, I check sports scores and news headlines while purposely avoiding any potential wrestling spoilers. I always watch the next morning on demand. But the news of Max Caster still managed to make it into my spoiler-free feed.

This column isn’t about Max Caster.

It’s about a train of thought I keep seeing.

This isn’t about whether what Max Caster said was right or wrong. I won’t say much about that, because we are all entitled to our own opinions, and we all have to answer to our own virtues and morals. I’m not here to teach people what morals and virtues are.

What this is about is the constant argument of “but the Attitude Era.”

I was born in 1980. I’ll be 46 on Thanksgiving. I lived through the Attitude Era. But the mid-’90s were a different era. That was 30 years ago.

Let me remind you of the ’90s: steroids in baseball. The Twin Towers were still standing. O.J. Simpson was on trial. Independence Day was the number one movie at the box office. Will Smith had officially broken out after The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette was the number one album.

I want to put even that into perspective. Thirty years before that, Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for civil rights. The number one movie was the James Bond film Thunderball, and Rubber Soul by The Beatles had just been released.

Something else that was 30 years before the Attitude Era: there was no legal age of consent. Let that settle in for a moment. For my generation, we were just as far removed from a time with no legal age of consent as today is from the rise of DX.

You know what else we did in the Attitude Era? Think of every derogatory term you can think of aimed at the LGBTQ community, and we used it openly. Was it hurtful then? Yes. Did we care, or think about things in that way? No. But if something was different, “that’s gay.” If someone said something stupid, “you’re a fag.”

The world evolves. Mankind evolves. Wrestling evolves with it, and so do social norms and what is or isn’t acceptable.

Athletes are different now. There’s new science and new understanding of how to maintain or build the body. We see diverse athletes doing different things. People consume media differently. Tastes have changed. We live in a viral world where most people value moments over long-term storytelling.

So let’s take a look at what Max Caster said and compare it, just for argument’s sake.

Now, I won’t pretend to know the exact phrasing, but that’s not important. What’s important is that he used a tragedy for entertainment. He referenced an attack where at least 13 people were murdered and more than 300 were injured. These were innocent people. The strike hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and TNA later apologized, removed the segment from replays and social media, and cut ties with Caster.

Where does that become entertainment?

You know what else happened just shy of 30 years ago? Columbine. I was a senior in high school when it happened, and I remember it vividly. It was a world where school shootings were not the norm. Sixteen dead. Twenty-three injured.

I lived through this. If Degeneration X or The Rock had come out in the wake of Columbine and used it for edgy heat, it would not have flown. The outrage would have been rule. In a world where we used terms like “fag” on a daily basis with no regard for anyone else, we still would not have allowed that.

So what makes what happened in Riyadh any different? Why am I seeing people try to defend what Caster said by using the Attitude Era as an example?

Let’s look side by side:

• Attitude Era: Columbine — 16 dead, 23 injured. Columbine would have gotten someone cancelled before cancelling was even a known thing.
• Today: The Riyadh airport attack — at least 13 dead, more than 300 injured.

We are supposed to be progressing as a world and as a species, making things better. In no world is this acceptable. But to pretend these comments would have flown in the Attitude Era is someone using it as an excuse for one reason or another. If you look at the pure numbers, 39 victims would have gotten someone cancelled before cancelling was a thing. More than 300 victims, and the response is “but the Attitude Era.”

Why? Because the attack wasn’t on American soil? Because the victims were mostly Muslim? What makes this different? I’m not judging. I’m genuinely asking.

But that’s not my whole point. It’s not just current issues and how we address them.

The music we listen to and how we obtain it is different.

Every major sport is different. Why do you hear endless debates about Jordan versus LeBron? Two different eras. Two totally different games. The game has evolved and become something different.

What was a catch in the NFL 30 years ago is no longer a catch.

You know what else I did in the Attitude Era? I went to Blockbuster Video, rented a VHS called UFC 1, and watched a one-night tournament where Royce Gracie beat three men — all in the same night, all in higher weight classes than Gracie.

Would that happen today? Shane Strickland is in the same weight class. Today, if someone said Strickland was going to fight Carlos Ulberg, only to then fight Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane later that night, all within a two-hour span, we couldn’t fathom it.

Different world. Different time.

For today’s teenagers, Steve Austin and The Undertaker are what Bruno Sammartino and Lou Thesz were to my generation. Just look at the difference in presentation and what was and wasn’t acceptable then.

We need to quit comparing everything to the Attitude Era. The world is vastly different. No different than 30 years from now, in 2056, when I’m sure the art of wrestling will be much different than it is now. Austin and Undertaker will be nothing more than names from the past, an age of a bygone era, while names like Cody Rhodes will be revered for their contributions in much the same context as we view Steve Austin — as a defining part of his era.

The Enlightened Part

Here’s the thing: nostalgia is not a moral defense.

The Attitude Era gave us moments, characters, and memories that still matter. It gave a lot of us reasons to love this business. But loving something does not mean pretending it existed outside of its time. Wrestling has always been a mirror of the world around it, whether we like what the mirror shows us or not.

We don’t honor the past by dragging its worst instincts into the present. We honor it by understanding it, learning from it, and allowing the art form to grow. The Attitude Era was great for what it was. It is not a permission slip for what we do now.

Progress is not the enemy of wrestling. Forgetting where we came from is. But so is refusing to move forward.

The Fun Part

Now, on to a little fun, because I like to lighten things at the end.

So, just for shits and grins, I sat down and did a full list of my 25 all-time musical artists. I ran an algorithm that took into account my listening habits over the last six months, one year, two years, and five years.

Per “science and math,” here’s my top 25 musical artists of all time:

1. Counting Crows
2. Misfits
3. J. Cole
4. Gojira
5. Bad Religion
6. Cattle Decapitation
7. Descendents
8. Amyl and The Sniffers
9. Kendrick Lamar
10. Lorna Shore
11. Social Distortion
12. Whitechapel
13. Knocked Loose
14. The Chats
15. Dead Pioneers
16. Trivium
17. Escuela Grind
18. The Black Dahlia Murder
19. Prince
20. David Bowie
21. The Killers
22. Rapsody
23. Fleetwood Mac
24. Dead Kennedys
25. Mastodon

That list says a lot about me. Punk, metal, hip-hop, classic rock, deathcore, and a little Prince and Bowie to keep things civilized.

But that’s the point, isn’t it? Taste changes. Time changes. People change.

And so does wrestling.

Until the next smoke break, be excellent to one another.

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The show started well with the World Heavyweight Championship match, as Roman Reigns defended the title against LA Knight.

We all knew Knight wasn’t going to win the title, as I have a feeling the endgame is for Oba Femi to be the guy who dethrones Reigns, either at WrestleMania or sooner. However, we could at least expect a really strong match between these two, and that’s exactly what we got.

Knight and Reigns showed why they are considered main event players in WWE. They put together a match that took fans on a ride and made them believe Knight might actually have a chance of beating Roman for the championship. He didn’t, and Reigns ultimately retained, but Knight was elevated in the process, which is better than nothing.

Afterward, Reigns had his first interactions with Royce Keys and his group, leading to The Bloodline and Solo attacking them. The two groups then brawled all over the arena. That was a great overall opening for the show, in my opinion, and I want to see where this goes.

Then, the show started to go into a downward spiral, beginning with the women’s Money in the Bank match.

Nothing against these women, as they did their best with what they were given and put on a very strong match overall. However, this was an opportunity for WWE to create a new star, as four of the participants were fresh faces, while the two veterans, Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton, could help them along.

Personally, I would have given the briefcase to Roxanne, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing Sol Ruca, Lash Legend, or even Lola Vice get the big win over Tiffany, who was the safe choice in my opinion.

At least with Roxanne, you would have someone new getting a push, along with the interesting story of whether she would betray Liv Morgan and cash in on her. With Tiffany, I feel like one of two things will happen. Either she’ll betray Chelsea Green and cash in on her, which would automatically turn Tiffany heel, or she’ll wait for Chelsea to lose the title and cash in on whoever wins it, probably Nikki Bella. That would suck.

WWE had a chance to make a new star with this match, but they decided to go with the same old, same old. I’m not really interested in that.

Next, we had Oba Femi vs. Bronson Reed, which was pretty much what I expected: a way to make Oba look unstoppable and create the next Brock Lesnar in the process.

Too bad they had to kill off The Vision in order to do that.

Nothing against the match itself, but where does The Vision go from here after being completely destroyed by Oba Femi? They did pretty much everything they could to beat him, even using brass knuckles and having Bronson Reed hit the Tsunami. Oba still got up and destroyed not only Bronson but Austin Theory as well, while making Logan Paul look like a complete idiot in the process.

This was a humiliation of The Vision as a faction. How can fans take these three seriously after this match? The only interesting part was seeing Paul Heyman’s reaction afterward and wondering where things will go from here.

While this did wonders for Oba, The Vision was collateral damage, and it’s going to be difficult for the group to recover and convince fans that they’re still a strong faction.

The fourth match was the Women’s World Championship match, and I had high hopes for it because all three women have delivered great matches together in the past. However, this was an average match at best, and I really didn’t understand the ending.

This showed that the only reason WWE gave Stephanie the championship in Chile was to give fans a big moment at that show and try to boost subscriptions to its Club WWE program. Outside of that, it made little sense to give the belt to Stephanie only for her to drop it back to Liv a month later.

Liv as champion isn’t interesting anymore, especially since the Money in the Bank briefcase is on SmackDown, and I doubt WWE will have Tiffany jump to RAW to cash in.

So where does this leave us? Most of the newer faces on the RAW roster have already been pushed aside by the way the Money in the Bank match played out. There’s also no real reason for Roxanne or Raquel to turn on Liv right now. We’re essentially stuck with the status quo, meaning we’ll have to continue watching the same three women face each other for the title.

Finally, the men’s Money in the Bank match main-evented the show, and boy, was it a chore to get through.

This match shouldn’t have been as long as it ended up being. I would have liked to see Bron Breakker win, as giving the briefcase to a heel is always more entertaining than giving it to a face. However, I don’t mind Penta winning it, as it makes sense to give the briefcase to one of the hottest characters in the company.

The problem is that the match really dragged. Aside from a few awesome spots, most of which were performed by Je’Von Evans, nothing really stood out, and the match was just plain boring.

Again, I have nothing against Penta winning the briefcase, and his path to the championship will be interesting. However, I don’t see him having a successful cash-in. This feels more like WWE trying to capitalize on Penta’s sudden popularity following his great showing against Roman Reigns in Mexico.

In the end, for a show that’s considered to be on the same level as the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, this was an underwhelming event. It showed that WWE creative is afraid to take chances and would rather go with the safe option, which is exactly what happened last night.

The Money in the Bank PLE used to be one of the most unpredictable shows of the year. Now, it’s just another event where nothing particularly special happens, which is kind of sad to see.

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