Post SummerSlam & MJF-Britt Baker Musings

After a wild week with SummerSlam in the books, the MJF-Britt Baker drama unfolding, AEW-WBD exclusive rights passing and more, I figure I would pop my head up and let everything breath.

And unlike Mr. Tito, I am not going to touch politics or the Olympics in this column as I am going to do a hard pass on those turkeys for now.

Instead, I am going to just give some musings and thoughts on everything that has transpired and just give some more two cents on what to expect on everything and anything on what you have read. None of this is facts as I don’t call myself an expert or pontificate like certain wrestling media people here but more just insight based on what smart people are telling me.

So, without further ado let’s just jump in and dig into some of the bigger headlines.

WRESTLEMANIA TO LONDON IS SOONER THAN YOU THINK.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan didn’t just meet with Paul Levesque and Nick Khan for a photo op and nice chat. Anyone who follows business knows that London has been hurting for tourism dollars ever since Covid hit and the Saudi Royal Family got into combat sports. Wembley Stadium used to be home to huge boxing events that drew huge sporting gates and now it’s not.

I wouldn’t be surprised if WrestleMania 43 is on the table right now for London as Khan is willing to PAY. That is the big difference right now between AEW and WWE; AEW went over to Wembley and had to pay for the stadium and for the right to use it. WWE is going to go over there and they are getting a “sizeable” check from Wembley to go over and do two nights worth of WrestleMania.

Credit this to Nick Khan and TKO Management as this is what they have done with UFC in making the sport more global. Other countries devour combat sports and pro wrestling like its ice cream on a hot summer day and WWE is hotter than ever. John Cena teasing about Wembley hosting WrestleMania was strategic and the meeting with Mayor Khan was more about pricing and how much they were willing to fork over for two nights worth for Wembley.

If you thought that All-In Wembley was impressive, WrestleMania London is going to blow that out of the water.

MJF-BRITT BAKER SAGA A FAILURE OF MANAGEMENT

I don’t care how big an MJF fan you are or how big an AEW mark you are, there is no defending either in this situation. Both men look horrible in this case and the more news we get the more this company looks like a lost cause.

To recap, Britt Baker was sent home due to a suspension because of an argument between her and Alicia Atout, AEW TV reporter. Atout, who is also the girlfriend of MJF, and Baker had gotten into a verbal argument about Baker allegedly making comments about Atout and MJF. Atout then relayed the comments to MJF who then promptly confronted Britt Baker… IN THE WOMEN’S LOCKER ROOM.

That moment alone should have been a suspension right there as it’s just not allowed in any corporate setting. And that is what pro wrestling is now; this is not the territories anymore and AEW is not some minor league indy fed but a national wrestling promotion on a major network.

The fact that MJF has not been suspended by an “independent” investigation screams Tony Khan coverup.

It’s ironic how Tony compared the WWE to being the Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling and yet accusations against Chris Jericho for his NDA’s and now MJF for verbal threat/physical intimidation were ignored. It continues the mantra of the company being one of being zero accountability and no real management leaders to help steer the company.

SUMMERSALM’s LA KNIGHT VS LOGAN PAUL STEALS THE SHOW AMONG A GRET CARD

Right now, without any hyperbole, you could make the argument that Logan Paul is an overall better performer than Will Ospreay and MJF with room to grow. Go to that match and look at what he did in that match in terms of making LA Knight look good. And once again consider the fact… HE HAS HAD ZERO TRAINING COMING INTO WWE.

Unlike others before him, he isn’t a second-generation wrestler who grew up in in the industry or came from the NCAA factory. And unlike MJF, he isn’t using curse words to get over as he has had to follow FOX’s PG-13 standards when he is on TV.

Yes, Logan can be offensive on Twitter and he is not everyone’s cup of tea socially with his personality and charm but in the ring, he is better than 98 percent of the industry. It is one thing to have great matches with Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes but the match with LA Knight should make fans realize that Logan Paul is the real deal.

Damnit, give the mofo his flowers!

PUNK VERSUS DREW WAS THE PERFECT START TO THE BEGINING OF THE WAR

I saw on What Culture that one writer was upset that Drew versus Punk was not brutal enough in this bout considering the hatred. Others were upset that Seth was in his Elton John meets Dante Reyes outfit for the referee attire. That the match at times broke down over the bracelet and was more about just pacing.

First, for the minority who bitched about the angles (The Meltzer tribe) go screw off; for the rest of you who are upset about the lack of brutality, you were out of your minds if you thought they were going to go balls to the wall in the first match out. For God’s sake, Punk is 45 years old, just came back from triceps surgery and has been injured three times in the last three years.

This is the equivalent of a pitcher who just had Tommy John surgery, pitching in his first MLB game back after rehab. He was on a pitch count, no sharp curve balls, no breaking stuff, and any signs of trouble and they pulled him.

Make no mistake about it, Drew vs. Punk vs. Seth is box office gold that rivals even Roman and the Bloodline. It’s even better is it blurs the lines of Real vs. Fiction of do they truly hate each other in real life is this all an act, do we really know or care.

And as soon as Seth put on the bracelet, you could tell the story was going to get good as it was now about Punk being the one who “couldn’t see past the trees.” It’s been the story in AEW that if he had JUST walked away, he still would have been there making big money and AEW would be doing well.

WWE could and probably will run this trio feud all the way to WrestleMania with a three-way of them in a Hell in a Cell match to blow the feud off. Maybe even something for the world title if fate allows them to do so. No matter what, this story is cooking and that match was just the appetizer and a safe way to make sure it got going.

TNA MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE WITH ITS SLAMMIVERSARY MAIN EVENT

For decades everyone has made fun of “LOLTNA” due to its mismanagement of the main event roster and other decisions that led to its ruin. Fairly or not the Dixie Carter run program has been the brunt of jokes from the wrestling community for stupid wrestling decisions.

Last weekend’s Slammiversary though was a crowning moment for the company in that it did one of the rare smart moves. It helped elevate not just a babyface wrestler but create a brand-new heel and a new champion in the process. And it did so without having to rush their future big babyface into being a champion before the payoff.

Joe Hendry has been on a nuclear rise with his “I Believe” single and his music videos, invading NXT and even getting chants all over the wrestling world. In the past, he would have been hot-shotted to the title right away and probably flamed out like past champions.

Instead after eliminating the current champion Moose, Hendry was then eliminating after a low blow by Josh Alexander, allowing the former TNA champion to turn heel in the process.

This is what TNA has needed for all parties for a long time; Josh Alexander has been a phenomenal wrestler that has grown stale as a babyface and needed a new change. Joe Hendry has reached one point of his journey and needed to face some adversity. And the new champion Nick Nemeth allows TNA to possibly reach out to WWE about a Bound for Glory match up with former TNA star, AJ Styles in a Hall of Fame induction.

Sure, there are moving parts to this and who knows if this will all work out, but after years of LOLTNA and mismanagement, the last few years TNA has shown that they are a capable organization. A wrestling promotion without the backstage drama and possibly with a glorious future.

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