ASK TITO: Message to AEW Marks, Tiffany Stratton, Saudi Arabia Royal Rumble for 2026?, and Much More
The Excellence in Column Writing is upon you where I’ll take your questions submitted via email, social media discussions, or the comments below and provide my snappy answers. Longtime readers who email me daily take precedence, as do current event discussions. I hope that you’re having a great 2025 so far, as I look forward to what this year, particularly Rumble to Wrestlemania season, will bring us. I felt that I wrote some of my best columns during 2024, so we’ll see what I can produce for 2025!
Now, one thing I really dislike for both politics and pro wrestling is how the vocal minority appears to be the loudest and dares to condescend the majority. During my LAST COLUMN entitled “The Real Reason Why AEW is Declining and Struggling”, I wrote about how AEW isn’t growing because they don’t have a perceived natural leader, confident top draw, or anyone on their roster who is assertive to keep their top spot. Nope, instead AEW is a roster full of wrestlers who leak gossip to Dave Meltzer, play video games, project their feelings on social media, and get very sensitive to any feedback about their product.
The idea from the column came from hearing that anyone born from 2025 to 2039 would be labeled as “Generation Beta” and I thought to myself that’s very unfortunate, as the word “beta” is considered secondary and often looking for a leader rather than being one themselves. Then, I began thinking about the top draws of the modern era between Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, Triple H, the Rock, John Cena, and the “since August 2020” Roman Reigns… Those are ALPHA males full of confidence and fans gravitate to them, as many aren’t “alpha” in nature and are seeking one to lead them. I simply applied that idea to AEW’s roster and I didn’t quite see the confidence, assertiveness, or natural leadership skills in anyone deemed a “top guy” there.
That’s it… Somehow, a big AEW mark and his minions (or burner accounts) think that I wrote it as a response column to what that big AEW mark wrote. WRONG… For one, IF I write a response column, I’ll gladly put your name and link your column. I’ve actually done that on the rare occasions that I felt necessary to write a response column. Two, I’d have to actually read your column to begin with… Believe it or not, I don’t read many columns and I especially don’t go out of my way to read pro-AEW propaganda. Only time that I may read it is if a reader prompts me or if I happen to catch an excerpt or provocative title on Aaron’s NoDQ social media accounts. Otherwise, I’m not reading your work as I’m too busy with my columns and thinking up what to write next.
You AEW fans think that you’re so important… Well, you’re not. FACT is that your dwindling in numbers and energy. We’ve seen your viewership, attendance, PPV buys, and merchandise numbers throughout 2024. ALL DECLINING. Your tastes and preferences about pro wrestling just aren’t that relevant and I’m sure that upsets you.
AEW has long lost this war and did so during 2022 when they began sabotaging CM Punk just as WWE began righting its ship by beginning to push Vince McMahon out the door. While AEW is dependent on a declining Warner Bros Discovery company with $45 billion in debt, WWE has formed lucrative relationships with cash rich Netflix and NBC/Universal for the next 5-10 years while their Premium Live Events are just gaining more popularity.
We get it, you’re jealous of WWE’s growing success while the cult you’ve joined, AEW, is losing steam. Signing Copeland, Okada, Mercedes, and Ospreay didn’t plug that leaky damn of momentum after you’ve, once again, attempted to sabotage CM Punk. Punk, by the way, is thriving in WWE and doesn’t have to deal with the backstage nonsense that AEW has.
Do you want to be a good AEW fan? Then START HOLDING AEW ACCOUNTABLE!!!
Go read my columns from the second I made my 2010 comeback through 2021… I repeatedly held the WWE accountable, despite everyone labeling me a “WWE mark”. Go read the MULTIPLE times that I wrote how ineffective Triple H was as a EVP of Talent & Creative during the 2010s or how Vince McMahon was “out of touch” with his creative decisions. I leaned into WWE HARD back then and they DESERVED IT. Honestly, by the end of 2018, I was through and almost walked away… But do you know what brought me back? AEW forming during 2019, and I gave them very positive coverage as I was rooting for them to FINALLY give the WWE competition. And it worked, as WWE is better today than it was back then.
All business metrics are declining for AEW… It’s just a FACT. Congrats to them for getting a desperate payout by a cable channel company desperate for any live sports content at this point, but facts don’t lie about fewer wrestling fans wanting to watch AEW. Why is that? Well, it’s about Tony Khan and the EVPs… Their leadership, their management, and how they use the resources given to them. Hold THEM accountable, AEW marks, instead of trying to chase me with pitchforks because you don’t like my opinions in a column that you didn’t have to click!
But STOP thinking that you’re so important and that everybody cares about your opinions, AEW marks. We don’t care. The column that I wrote on “alphas” and “betas” was independent of any joke opinion that you’ve posted lately. Get lives and go worry about your own opinions instead of constantly being jealous of or attacking mine!
On to your questions.
ASK TITO – Your Questions, My Answers
What are your thoughts on Tiffany Stratton becoming Women’s Champion?
I feel like a proud father today, honestly… First and foremost, she 100% deserves it. She’s in that rarified air of people like Kurt Angle or Brock Lesnar who are so superior as athletes yet they have shockingly smart personalities that they understand the intricacies of pro wrestling this early. She GETS IT and looks like a million bucks on top of it (doesn’t hurt). Take away the blonde hair, the gymnastics ability, wearing lingerie as attire, etc… Her personality is what gets her over. “It’s Tiffy Time”, and you fully knew from the second she won that Money in the Bank briefcase that she was going to decorate it.
If you go back and watch Kurt Angle when he started during late 1999 and early 2000, he needed a little more confidence in his in-ring performance, but that cocky personality showed up on day #1. “It’s True, It’s True”. If you’ll recall the Royal Rumble 2000, it was Kurt Angle versus a debuting Tazz and everyone was predicting that Tazz would become a HUGE WWE star because of that match. Great debut, but that was Tazz’s peak with the WWE… He couldn’t get any bigger than debuting in Madison Square Garden and making Angle tap. Instead, Kurt Angle got over from the match because he articulated that Tazz applied an “illegal chokehold” and drew massive heat because Kurt Angle could cut great promos. Tazz couldn’t in WWE, along with being massively short in height.
Tiffany Stratton has been the complete package from day 1… Again, very beautiful, very athletic inside the ring, but what sets her apart is charisma and personality. When you pour that on top of your look and in-ring ability, YOU GET OVER. Did you see how bonkers those fans were getting at Tiffany finally cashing the title in on 1/3/25’s WWE Smackdown? They were excited because they, too, have been following her quick and sudden rise to the top of the WWE.
How Tiffany Stratton won the Women’s Title was amazing… Watch the recap for yourself! Perfectly done by WWE’s creative team. During Nia Jax’s match with Naomi, Tiffany acts like she’s going to cash-in yet it was to create a distraction and interference (Naomi taking the briefcase to the head) to help Nia win. After the match, Bianca Belair hits the ring and tries to get revenge but the strength in numbers between Jax, Candice, and Tiffany overwhelm them. Just as we thought Nia was going to squash Bianca with her finisher from the ropes, Tiffany turns on Nia by hitting her with the briefcase and then disposing of Candice. With Nia still on the ropes, Bianca Belair showed an impressive display of strength by hitting her finisher on Nia… Holy cow! Tiffany then pulls Bianca out of the ring and hits her perfectly executed Moonsault on Nia to become Women’s champion.
Perfect story told, perfectly executed by the wrestlers, and perfectly sold by the announcers. PEFECT SEGMENT and an good indicator of why WWE is the #1 wrestling promotion by a mile these days.
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What are your thoughts on the Royal Rumble possibly being in Saudi Arabia for 2026?
I think that it’s a travesty, to be honest. The “Big 3” rotation should be rewards for the most loyal fanbases who built the modern-day WWE for the past 40 years and that includes United States and Canada while I also believe that England deserves some love for their loyalty. Sorry, but Saudi Arabia fans are bought & paid for from their government who are using the WWE to advertise that they’ve “changed” from their prior ways.
Saudi Arabia already has their 2 annual PLE events… Let those still happen and I’m 100% fine with it.
THIS goes to show you that the Endeavor-owned WWE doesn’t entirely care for you, the loyal fanbase, but they care about maximizing their money. That includes taking more of your money… Have you attended a WWE event lately? Ticket prices have gone through the roof. Wait until that Peacock WWE Network deal ends for United States fans… Fans will be in for a rude awakening when Pay Per View or a more expensive streaming network suddenly arrives.
I don’t like it simply from the standpoint that the “Big 3” PLEs should be rewards for WWE’s top fanbases to attend and not for governments who are handing WWE over $25 million to host events there. What about the loyal fanbase who legitimately uses their vacation time to travel to BIG WWE events and spends their hard-earned dollars on tickets, hotels, plane tickets, rental cars, and merchandise? Loyal North American fans, in particular, are the reason why these Big 3 Premium Live Events are so successful in the first place.
I think it sucks, to be honest. Only benefit is for those who don’t travel, they get to watch it early in the morning and not have to stay up later… Go to bed early is a benefit, I suppose.
If you’ll paint my words as “anti-Saudi”, you need to re-read what I said. The fanbases who built the WWE into this powerhouse and are STILL the MAJORITY of fans who fund the WWE are the ones who attended and supported the Big 3 PLEs. Reward them rather than being yet another corporation that chases the big bag of money from a government who wants to advertise how their country has changed. United States, Canada, and later England fans built the WWE into a powerhouse, so reward them with Rumble, Wrestlemania, and SummerSlam. I’m 100% fine with sending Money in the Bank, Backlash, or whatever to Saudi Arabia or other countries. Be my guest… But LOYAL fans should be rewarded with the WWE’s top events.
There are some reports suggesting that Wrestlemania 40 made around $40 million on the live gate alone… Think about that. That’s NOT a government paying WWE to host Wrestlemania, that’s fans buying tickets and merchandise for a 2-night event.
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Should Ric Flair be allowed to wrestle 1 more match?
Look, everyone is entitled to do what they want in a free country… That said, when you’re a 75 year old man about to turn 76, I would hope that Ric’s family would step in and try to stop him. However, his family has been trying to slow him down for decades now and it hasn’t worked.
My issue is that Ric’s desire to wrestle another match is linked to yet another quick money scheme. The fact is that Ric Flair is TERRIBLE with money and shows ZERO maturity to want to be careful for any income that he receives. Furthermore, he’s had heart issues related to alcohol consumption, yet Ric is still there to party. While I admire his energy and desire to be his old self, he needs to somehow find a way to enjoy live without being the “Nature Boy”.
I saw him at an autograph signing over 20 years ago and he was miserable to be there. Many fan interactions with Ric have been the same, and many wrestlers have had bad experiences with him, too, particularly if they are lower on the card. Anybody who has tried a podcast with him has experienced issues, including his own son-in-law. Unless he’s in the spotlight and enabled to be the old “Nature Boy”, he’s miserable to be around. THAT is the ultimate problem, as he’s developed no hobbies, no interests, and no curiosities to do something other than the “Nature Boy” gimmick he created as a wrestler. Somewhere in time, that gimmick took over his real self and rules who he is and anything trying to impede the “Nature Boy” from having fun, he becomes frustrated and angry about it.
Go ahead, let him wrestle… Let him show why most wrestlers struggle to perform after age 50, when they try, let alone at age 75.
But someone needs to work with Ric Flair on how to enjoy life WITHOUT wrestling and being a character. And teach him how to balance a check book, too.
Love ya Ric, but I’m concerned about you as a longtime fan.
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What are your thoughts on the Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk promo on RAW?
It was excellent, it was effective, and both wrestlers played it as if they were shooting for real… For parts of it, they probably were. There’s legitimate dislike between the two that stems from Punk being miserable during 2013 and a younger Seth Rollins probably hearing Punk complain non-stop about the WWE.
The one area that I thought was very low was when Seth ripped Punk for not having any kids yet… That’s one area that I probably would have left off of the promo, yet, I could agree to keep it because as seen with the AJ Lee bracelet angle with Drew McIntyre, that’s how you get under Punk’s skin. Still, who knows if Punk and Lee have tried to become parents or not, but it’s still felt a bit too dark for me. I guess that’s the parent in me speaking…
But this one-on-one promo is what I was begging for YEARS for the WWE to do… Unscripted reality-based angles. They work… This feud seems personal, just as Punk vs. Drew felt very personal. Then, in the end, both guys will CRUSH the matches because the hot crowds will 100% be into their match-ups. That is how professional wrestling works…
I would like to see AJ Lee make a comeback and then extend Punk vs. Rollins feud with AJ Lee and Becky Lynch getting involved. TONS of money added to this feud that can keep it going through the first half of 2025.
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Thoughts on New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 19?
Zero interest in viewing this show, so I have none… Shows weren’t bad when Omega, Okada, and Jericho were pulling out all of the stops for non-stop action in their matches, but otherwise, much of NJPW matches look the same to me. Fun to watch, yes, but needs more drama and story. Beating each other senseless for 30 minutes without much selling and hitting multiple finishers for normal matches with kickouts and no-selling afterward gets old after a while. That style was imported into California independent promotion and resides heavily as an influence of AEW thanks to Meltzer, the Bucks, Omega, and now Ospreay/Okada.
I will say, though, that I haven’t heard much buzz on Wrestle Kingdom this year as I have in previous years. Usually, online wrestling marks will ACT like they are suddenly New Japan wrestling fans and are legitimately quoted as saying “WWE will have a hard time topping THIS show”. Usually Royal Rumble easily tops their show instantly. But for this year, it’s been quiet…
With New Japan, wrestling fans get enough of their style through watching AEW and are burned out from it. Then, when WWE is successful, wrestling fans don’t need to seek an alternative promotion. That’s why I believe the Wrestle Kingdoms of the late 2010s were successful because burned out wrestling fans from the WWE overpushing Roman Reigns as a babyface were desperate for an alternative. Also, Dave Meltzer’s influence is crumbling… Years of him backing AEW and making a fool out of himself on Twitter/X has caught up to him and I can imagine so have the declining subscriptions with Fightful/Sean Ross Sapp doing a much better job at providing backstage news.
In other words, AEW has over-exposed New Japan’s style and New Japan will suffer for it.
As I’ve said repeatedly about New Japan before, if it was sooooooo great, United States fans would be snorting lines of it. Look at all of the Godzilla, Nintendo, Pokemon, Dragonball Z, and Anime stuff that sells heavily to American culture. If something is cool from the Asian region, United States folks will pay money to consume more of it. Lately, we’ve been digging into South Korea stuff such as Netflix’s “Squid Games” and K-Pop. If it’s cool, Americans will throw LOADS of cash at it.
New Japan stuff tried to be incorporated within the hot New World Order gimmick and nobody cared about their involvement. Bullet Club was in New Japan, but it consisted of mostly North American workers.
When it comes to AEW and New Japan fans, they need to realize that they are in the vocal minority of worldwide wrestling fans and need to understand that their popularity is lower because it’s not even near the quality of what WWE can provide right now. And that’s OK… Like what you want, but don’t threaten me when I’m not worshipping at the alter of AEW, New Japan, or the Observer clowns who spread weekly propaganda about their promotions being better than WWE.
You are in the MINORITY, AEW and New Japan fans… Get over it and stop threatening me because I’m pointing out how inferior your favorite promotions are.
Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ