MR. TITO: WWE Wrestlemania 42 in Las Vegas and on ESPN+. No Review. I Refuse. (TKO Sucks!)
Years ago, the James Rolfe aka Angry Video Game Nerd from Cinemassacre made a video about the Ghostbusters film that was released during 2016. If you’ll recall, the Hollywood studio opted to reboot the franchise with an all female cast and with a movie not set in the prior Ghostbusters universe. On top of that, the movie was poorly directed, relied on cheap humor, and clearly had too many CGI effects compared to the practical effects of the previous films. While Rolfe had issues with the trailer he watched, he was most upset with the movie studio rebooting the film and just calling it “Ghostbusters” instead of something like “Ghostbusters: The Next Generation” that could cause internet search confusion between the first film and the 2016 one.
James received a metric ton of heat when he made this video stating “no review, I refuse” prior to the movie’s release. For taking this stance, he was called “sexist” because of the all female cast. With due respect to the cast, most of them have seen success elsewhere along with the film’s director. The issue was disrespecting the franchise of the past, having bad CGI, and just not writing a good movie. In the end, James won because Ghostbusters 2016 drew poorly at the Box Office and then the Ghostbusters franchise received a real sequel to the 1980’s movies during 2021. Furthermore, the 2016 Ghostbusters was later renamed to Ghostbusters: Answer the Call” probably to help reduce confusion versus the initial 1980s classic film. In the end, he was right…
With that said, I’m going to take a similar stance that James Rolfe took with the 2016 Ghostbusters film as it relates to WWE’s Wrestlemania 42. I’m not buying ESPN+ for April, nor will I find anywhere to watch it.
No review, I refuse!
Why?
It’s not so much about WWE’s Creative Team… I’d rather take the WWE of the 2020s versus the WWE of the 2010s.
Difference is that the WWE of the 2020s is actively trying to RIP YOU OFF while the WWE of the 2010s was surprisingly fan friendly and was convenient to watch. I only had to pay $9.99 to watch Wrestlemania back then versus $29.99 now.
And money isn’t the issue. I could easily buy ESPN+ and watch it without any dents in my finances. Hell, I could buy several thousand subscriptions for a month and be OK.
The issue is GREED from the TKO Corporation.
TKO has removed the FUN out of the WWE.
Even during bad years, you knew that it was a WWE trying to please its fans. When they tried to force something, they often course corrected to appease fans with growing unrest. And when you looked at the wrestling ring, you didn’t see ads splashed all over it. Much of the 2010s wasn’t chasing Saudi Arabia (though that began during early 2018) or using leverage of cities against each other for better deals (New Orleans got robbed of Wrestlemania 42). The $9.99 WWE Network that began during 2014 improved the morale of WWE fans, as they no longer had to pay absurdly high Pay Per View rates while having great access to WWE’s back catalog.
The way that TKO is completely ripping off fans through elevated ticket prices is BS, while also not sharing a bigger piece of the TKO revenue pie with the wrestlers is also BS. WWE wrestlers are severely underpaid right now and THEY, not the garbage TKO executives, are taking the bumps in and out of that wrestling ring. The wrestlers, not the TKO turds, are hopping into planes and rental cars to take the physical punishment while also being away from their families.
I’m happy that Ronda Rousey joined AEW, but I’m even more happy that she’s independently fighting MMA matches again WITHOUT the UFC also owned by the TKO Corporation of greedy bastards. In fact, she’s been quite critical of UFC lately as seen by a recent interview where she stated “It used to be that UFC was the best place in combat sports to make a living and get paid fairly, and now it’s no longer. It’s one of the worst places to go. It’s why so many of their top athletes are leaving to go and find pay elsewhere.”
Ronda knows that the UFC she fought for is no longer the same company. Endeavor’s intense greed has turned UFC into just a brand and a platform where fighters individually cannot stand out or maximize their payouts. This same Endeavor company purchased the WWE during 2023 and is doing the same thing under the TKO banner. They are gathering up revenues while the wrestlers are analyzed with analytics and statistics to see if their baseline salaries are worth their productivity provided to WWE. Hence why R-Truth was released after his John Cena match, along with many other wrestlers recently (Braun Strowman twice, for example).
Unfortunately for TKO, the weakest area of Triple H’s game is talent development. His tenures as EVP of talent from mid 2012 through early 2020 and then from mid 2022 to present have NOT generated consistent and strong main event talent versus what Jim Ross produced through OVW through 2004 and John Laurinaitis with FCW through 2012. Hell, John Laurinaitis’s return to Talent Relations during early 2020 through mid 2022 signed stars such as Bron Breakker and Tiffany Stratton who were quick learners and elevated early to be big successes on the WWE roster. Triple H has Gunther and then a whole bunch of guys that he’s tried to shove to the top (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, Karrion Kross, etc.). Bunch of brooding EMO guys, like HHH’s own character.
TKO probably wants Triple H to sign younger athletes, but the problem is that the WWE Performance Center and NXT just struggles to groom male wrestlers. Therefore, if there is ever anything that finishes off Triple H with TKO, it is his poor handling of Talent Relations. Sorry, but Performance Center head trainer Matt Bloom isn’t getting the job done with developmental wrestlers because as a wrestler himself, he lacked charisma, psychology, personality, and microphone skills and therefore has nothing to teach younger wrestlers. Shawn Michaels is naturally gifted and therefore cannot translate being a prodigy to younger wrestlers either.
But I also think that WWE’s recent style of matches of being unable to stay inside the ring, fighting around the arena, going through tables, and taking death defying stunts is conducive for any developmental wrestler program to succeed, either. Culture matters and when WWE isn’t teaching basic fundamentals of how to work inside the ring and connect with fans, wrestlers from developmental will struggle immediately and long-term on the main WWE roster. Jim Ross succeeded because he had an operation of scouts to find talent and then trusted hands within Ohio Valley Wrestling (the Jim Cornette & Danny Davis brand, not the current version that had that the unfortunate referee incident that I hope Al Snow successfully corrects moving forward).
Today’s WWE has open tryouts and those potential wrestlers get to work in the pampered environment of a safe and air conditioned developmental center and have housing provided to them. Then, they get to be trained by Matt Bloom who can tell them stories about how he was called Prince Albert, A-Train, Lord Tensai, and many other goofy names. Zero hunger to be great, thanks to the environment, and a terrible trainer who won’t push the wrestlers to be great. Complete lose-lose situation for ANY new WWE developmental wrestler, especially the younger ones that Triple H prefers to sign.
Because WWE cannot develop strong, young talent, they are becoming too veteran dependent. Hence why we have Roman vs. CM Punk and Cody vs. Orton headlining Wrestlemania. This is why John Cena and Brock Lesnar were still appearing, though WWE will miss both with Cena retiring last year and Lesnar set to retire this year (I predict that Lesnar won’t retire, he’ll keep taking that TKO and Saudi money).
Maybe 2 years ago, Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk would have been an exciting match-up. Roman was still in his prime and close enough to his historic World Title run while CM Punk was still fresh off his AEW exit. Now, however, we’re years removed from not just Roman’s great World Title reign but also the Bloodline’s existence. The Bloodline angle ended poorly, too, not giving fans what they truly wanted and that was Roman Reigns vanquishing the “Final Boss” with The Rock. Instead, we get “part-time” Roman who wrestles like 5-6 times per year and lacks that fire he once had with the original Bloodline group. CM Punk is older and lost that rebel edge he once had by becoming a full blown company man to help erase his prior reputation from difficult AEW years. Plus with age comes a slower and more careful working body, especially with Punk’s recent injury history.
We’ve seen the best from Cody Rhodes, peaking when he won at Wrestlemania 40. Nothing has been a fraction of great compared to that moment and he’s just not as strong of a draw as the champion versus the chaser with a purpose. After all, we wanted Cody to win so that he could “finish the story” of a Rhodes winning the WWE Title. He accomplished that but didn’t have much of a follow-up act. Randy Orton has been tried many, many times in the main event. It’s not that I think he isn’t talented, but there’s always that disconnect with various wrestlers and too many heel and babyface switches to figure out who his character really is.
Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi… I hope that it is good, but we all know Brock could kill Oba ins seconds if he wanted too. Plus, anyone wrestling Brock has to wrestle HIS style. Take those German Suplexes and shut up!
I like Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan… But their opponents just aren’t on their level with Stephanie Vaquer and Jade Cargill. Stephanie has the look, but just not the established roots in the WWE for who she really is and why she was rushed to the championship so quickly. Sorry, but Jade Cargill isn’t working. No matter how hard you try, the talent isn’t there though the look is always there. You either have athletic ability to look convincing as a wrestler or not. Her muscles are purely cosmetic, too, as she actually struggles to lift her opponents inside the ring. Jade looks great, I’ll give her that, but her matches are hard to watch and I’m baffled as to why she hasn’t learned how to work yet.
Thanks to the poor WWE developmental system under Triple H, WWE has to be come too dependent on veteran wrestlers to hopefully draw fans. However, we’ve already seen the best by each of these veterans provide their best stuff already. So why pay absurdly high prices for Wrestlemania 42 tickets and then deal with the entire city of Las Vegas nickel and diming you on everything along with airlines really price gouging right now thanks to high oil prices. Las Vegas is even going as far as banning local bars and restaurants from airing Wrestlemania on their televisions just to help attendance. THAT is desperate.
Both nights of Wrestlemania 42 were hovering around 37,000… Recently, they tried a few sales to help goose that number, such as “3:16” day but that has only caused ticket sales to be just above 40,000. Again, lower the ticket prices all you want, Las Vegas isn’t lowering theirs within the city and neither are Delta, American Airlines, or United to fly to Vegas.
Wrestlemania 41 did just over 60,000 and that was with the massive John Cena heel turn causing tickets to jump from just above 50,000 to over 60,000. You’ve got NOTHING in terms of interesting storylines this time around, just slapping CM Punk and Roman Reigns together which we already saw last year on Wrestlemania 41 in that three-way with Seth Rollins.
I’m sure that I’d probably enjoy Wrestlemania 42 if I watched it… But, I refuse to help TKO make an even bigger pile of money that they refuse to share with their wrestlers.
This isn’t the WWE of the past or of your childhood. It’s a phony wannabe version of it now owned by TKO Corporation. It started becoming that way long before Endeavor purchased it and I believe the initial culprit was Nick Khan. Nick “the dick” has been boys with Endeavor and the Rock for years before he joined the WWE and thanks to Nick, WWE began profit maximizing through massive TV deals and getting the entire country of Saudi Arabia to pay up stupid amounts of money. Yet also in return, wrestlers don’t get paid… Then, when Vince McMahon wanted to sell his company, it was Nick’s Endeavor folks who purchased the company. Imagine that.
Now, with the Endeavor overlords wanting to please their TKO shareholders and Nick Khan 100% on-board as a complete yes-man to his agent buddies, this price gouging model will never end.
And let’s STOP with the “if Vince McMahon were here, it would be a different WWE”. Yeah, because female WWE employees would be sexually harassed, used, and passed around before signing a non-disclosure agreement with millions to shut up. Secondly, Vince hired Nick Khan and signed off on his Saudi deal, changing WWE Networks, and the newer TV deals. Finally, it was Vince McMahon as the top WWE stock shareholder who forced the WWE sale during early 2023 to Endeavor. On top of all of that, all of you online dorks called for Vince’s head during the 2010s… So spare me on the “bring Vince back” nonsense. Vince DID NOT have to sell to Endeavor during 2023…
If you want to keep feeding this TKO money pit, be my guest. Your choice, your money & time, just as it’s my choice and my money & time. I know that WWE’s wrestlers aren’t getting paid nearly what they are worth and I don’t want any of my dollars transferring to the TKO demon executives. If you want to obey your TKO masters with ticket price gouging, ESPN+ price gouging, buying that terrible WWE 2K26 remake of the previous year’s game (seriously, $149.99 for one special edition of the game), and having ads shoved down your throat… Then congratulations, you are no longer a WWE mark but have become a USEFUL IDIOT for the TKO Corporation. That’s on YOU, brother.
I refuse to give TKO my time to watch 2 nights of Wrestlemania 42, nor do I want the fat bastard TKO executives to get any of my money. Therefore, NO Wrestlemania 42 for me, as I won’t be buying ESPN+ (I can see the NFL draft on other channels) and thus won’t be reviewing the show.
This isn’t the WWE anymore. It’s TKO Corporation’s idea of what they think WWE should be.
It’s only a matter of time before Triple H either retires or moves onto politics, and then the creative really goes downhill once The Rock’s hand-picked doofus takes over (likely Brian Gewirtz, who struggled to write storylines during the 2000s for RAW). With a terrible developmental system and then bad creative, WWE will be screwed once many of these veterans wrestling on Wrestlemania 42 gets older.
TKO sucks and they need useful idiots to keep lining their coffers. This isn’t your WWE promotion any longer.
Join me and just loosely follow the WWE product, watching whatever you want and whenever you want. Life is good when you’re not paying money within an abusive relationship.
No Wrestlemania 42 review because I’m not a bitch to TKO Corporation. I refuse!
Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ