The thing is, other combat sports events are taking place in Saudi Arabia before WWE gets there, so where is the outrage from those fans? I haven’t seen boxing fans expressing outrage on social media about this weekend’s card going ahead, yet everyone involved in that event faces the same potential risks as WWE’s staff and wrestlers.

UFC is also going to Saudi Arabia around the same time as WWE, yet you don’t see UFC fans expressing the same outrage over the company going there, even though those involved face similar risks.

So why are wrestling fans so outraged? TKO is doing what other companies are doing and making what it believes is the best business decision. One thing we don’t discuss enough about TKO is that the company is focused on making money right now so it can pay off the huge debt it took on when it acquired WWE a few years ago. The money generated by hosting a UFC card and WWE Crown Jewel will contribute to that effort while also improving the company’s financial results for shareholders, which is what any publicly traded company wants.

In the end, do I agree with TKO potentially putting people in danger by going ahead with both events? No. However, I also believe the company wouldn’t go to Saudi Arabia without having plans in place to protect everyone’s safety. The fact that wrestlers can still decide whether they want to go or not, as CM Punk and Kevin Owens reportedly declined to travel, resulting in their match being moved to SmackDown, suggests that WWE is giving its talent some say in the matter.

So can we just move on and stop complaining about this already? The event is going ahead as planned unless the Saudi government cancels Riyadh Season, which clearly isn’t happening. Unless something happens to those involved in this weekend’s boxing event, we’re likely getting Crown Jewel in Riyadh next weekend.

After that, the decision is ours. If you’re so outraged by WWE going to Saudi Arabia, don’t watch the show. If you’re not, just enjoy it like most fans will and move on. The event will go ahead regardless of whether the IWC likes it or not, so we might as well accept that, just as fans of boxing and UFC have.

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For those who don’t watch MMA regularly or have seen previous Ronda Rousey fights, we’re getting allegations of “fixed”, “rigged”, etc. While I’d normally agree, especially when the grifting Paul brothers are involved, I think that many are giving the MVP promotion too much credit for rigging something. A very motivated and 39 year-old Ronda destroyed a 44 year-old Gina Carano who last fought during 2009 and spent much of the year losing 100 pounds. Carano never faced anyone as capable as Rousey, hence the humiliating defeat.

While I wished that they could have fought longer, I was pretty satisfied with the bloody battle between Nate Diaz and Mike Perry. Nate Diaz was bleeding from multiple places, as I impressed with how he didn’t just pass out during the fight from so much blood loss. Sometimes, the main event for both boxing and MMA cards can be disappointing but something on the undercard pops to keep you relatively satisfied.

Honestly for me, it was on Netflix versus blowing through Pay Per View dollars… So I didn’t lose my arse on the event, as I consume Netflix heavily to get my money’s worth. I’m still smarting from the FRAUD known as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao that took my $99 (or $33, splitting it with 2 buddies).

That’s what you get from boxing or MMA events… High risk, but high reward. Thanks to boxing and MMA being legit competitive sports, when their main event matches hit, you’ll remember it forever. When it thuds, it really hurts and angers you as a customer.

My Dad loved boxing and we purchased many boxing Pay Per Views during the 1990s… There were many skunks, such as the Mike Tyson fight or pretty much any late 1990s Tyson fight… But then you’d get matches that you’d never forget, like Riddick Bowe vs. Evander Holyfield or the night when George Foreman SHOCKED the world by defeating Michael Moorer for the world championship. It was a literal roll of the dice, as the highs were amazing and the lows were disappointing. Yet, those highs were so good that you dared to roll that dice.

I remember how great UFC was through the late 2000s and early 2010s. Promotion was full of stars and had major cards that often delivered with various weight classes. I took a chance on multiple Pay Per Views with Brock Lesnar on it and he almost always delivered, as he’d take a beating for much of the match and then pull off a miraculous comeback.

But, both UFC and boxing have had their induced lows… For boxing, you had to watch Don King’s involvement as most of those matches were always fishy in nature, in my opinion. The multiple world titles really hurt things, too, as it diluted who the real world champion was when the belts were split up. I was so mad when Riddick Bowe threw away one of the world titles, as I knew it would create chaos with the world titles.

For UFC, the sale to Endeavor really hurt the promotion’s quality. What you’re seeing now in the WWE is what UFC has endured since 2016. Wrestlers not getting paid and minimized versus pushing a brand, more ads crammed into events, more ads all over the octagon and arena, and fewer diehard fans in the crowd versus corporate types (higher ticket prices often does that). UFC has become a completely nameless promotion other than Dana White as its president.

With Pro Wrestling, as I’ve argued for YEARS as Mr. Tito, you truly get your BANG for your BUCK. 3 hour shows with multiple matches going 20-30 minutes and often providing scripted moments that you’ll never forget.

Wrestling provides low risk (cheaper than MMA or boxing) with often moderate to high returns. Rarely do you get a skunk Premium Live Event or Pay Per View for wrestling. When WWE cost $9.99 per month for its WWE Network, it really felt good to watch the WWE’s biggest shows of the year.

Which brings me to WWE’s Premium Live Events from 2026…

For one, you’re paying for ESPN Unlimited for $29.99 per month, which is either more than triple or double of what you were paying with Peacock (depending on which streaming package that you had). Then, WWE is delivering SHORTER matches on PLEs now… That’s right, if you watched WWE Backlash 2026, only ONE match was above 20 minutes long in length and that was the opening match that aired on ESPN 2 between Rollins and Breakker.

How about Wrestlemania 42? Night #1 featured 4 matches out of 7 that were under 10 minutes long, while Night #2 had 4 out of 6 matches that were at or under 10 minutes long. Only the 2 main events went above 20 minutes of that event.

WWE PLEs are PACKED full of advertisements now, with them either being required advertisement spots per ESPN Unlimited or WWE running their own ads.

And that’s on top of an event with a ring littered with ads now, while each match has their own sponsor.

TKO is now requesting that many WWE stars take a 50% paycut…

Yep, Endeavor is morphing WWE right into another UFC model. Grift the fans and television network for as much money as you can and deep pocket the money obtained. Rinse and repeat.

Part of the allure for having boxing or MMA on Netflix is to try new things that the other professions wouldn’t try, while creating unexpected match-ups. UFC reportedly turned down Carano vs. Rousey, expecting it to be the mismatch that it turned out to be. Yet, this MVP promotion did 27 million for its first MMA event on Netflix.

Makes me wonder how much TKO will “butter up” Netflix to let them go the full 10 year term of their contract or maybe re-sign for something higher once the first 5 years are up. After all, what could stop someone from starting their own one-off wrestling event that airs on Netflix? TKO having the WWE could be a deterrent for any rouge one-off wrestling events from happening.

What made wrestling interesting again was during 2018, Cody Rhodes, the Young Bucks, and their friends held the first ever “All In” event. They drew 10,000 fans and eyeballs to Pay Per View without any promotional machine behind them. Cody and the Bucks proved that a big event without a major promotion to not only happen, but draw. This “All In” 2018 event was so successful that it inspired the Khan family to join up with Rhodes and the Bucks to form All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Since then, you’ve had real choice in wrestling to consume either WWE or AEW events and that choice has given us incredible events since the COVID-19 pandemic ended.

But now, here we are in 2026, and WWE is in first place by a distance after widening the gap during 2023. Complacent, WWE has now reduced the quantity and quality of its PLE events by shortening the matches and inserting more advertisements. The end result is a lot of starting and stopping, just like an overly corporate boxing or MMA event.

So yeah, WWE PLEs used to be a guaranteed great evening of wrestling but now it’s like a disappointing boxing or MMA event. Well, maybe it’s like UFC for the past 10 years. Once this current crop of veterans fully retire from the WWE, WWE will be like UFC with brand over wrestlers pushed harder than ever and lots of ads shoved in your faces during events.

WWE should be delivering great matches and fewer ads… They should remind boxing and MMA fans of how risky it is to watch their big events, as the main events often disappoint. Instead, we’re getting shorter matches and more advertisements.

TRUSTING that a WWE PLE was great was a guarantee that used to be in place… But now, the dream is over… TKO has taken over and has ruined yet another thing in the WWE.

TKO has so much revenue coming in from WWE and UFC, yet it still has a high level of debt. Endeavor and its daddy Silver Lake also have a high level of debt. Seems like it’s a management issue within the Endeavor and TKO groups on grifting and being unable to operate a company without high levels of debt.

The dream is over, what can I say? The dream is over, yesterday… And so, dear friends, you’ll just have to carry on, the dream is over.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: What Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano’s MVP MMA Event “Disappointment” Could Teach WWE & TKO About Their Recent PLEs appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

But last night’s disappointing Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight highlights an obvious fact that we, pro wrestling fans, have known all along about big Boxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events… They can disappoint. Because Boxing, and its many different subdivisions, and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are real and unscripted, they can lead to real results. If Paul and Tyson did that match in WWE, for example, the bookers would do everything in their power to prop up Mike Tyson to make you believe that he STILL has the magic. Bill Goldberg is proof of that, as WWE books around his limitations and his age to allow the Goldberg essence to remain alive. I’d argue the same for Ronda Rousey who was disposed by UFC and WWE propped her career up.

As a boxing fan since the 1980s, thanks to my Dad, we actually watched a ton of boxing events either on HBO or on Pay Per View (much to the reluctance of my Mom on that latter one). I watched the rise and the fall and then the return and then the ear biting of Mike Tyson. Following Mike, it was Riddick Bowe, an older George Foreman, Michael Moorer, and Lennox Lewis. Lots of lower weight divisions there, too, though we seemed to enjoy the Heavyweight division more than the others.

I’m here to tell you that based on my boxing viewership, maybe 30% (if that) featured something that was worth your time and especially money on the PPV side. That said, when that 30% was good, it was usually exceptional and unbelievable to the point where you wanted MORE.

Then, you’d get absolutely burned… Take Mike Tyson’s return fight from prison against Peter McNeely from August 1995. WHAT A TURD. You’re all hyped to see Tyson’s return and then his opponent’s corner stops the fight after 89 seconds. If you’re paying $50 for that fight, you just paid $0.56 per second and that adds up real quick to a waste of time.

While boxing can give you its share of trainwrecks, such as a parachuter trying to land inside the ring for Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe or when Mike Tyson bit into Holyfield’s ear, those moments were SHOCKING to see live… BUT that isn’t what you paid to see… You paid to see a competitive boxing match between the best heavyweights and those disruptions ruined your evening and took your money.

And then you see boxing matches that just suck, to the point where you question if it was rigged or not. Tyson vs. Paul is getting that criticism, but at least it was free as long as you have a monthly Netflix subscription. But look no further than Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao, which was hyped as the “biggest fight ever” for its time based on the records of both fighters and the many years it took to arrange this fight. Yet, when the got into the ring, they barely hit each other. For one, Manny had an undisclosed shoulder injury which limited his punching ability and Floyd is possibly the best defensive fighter ever. It was TERRIBLE and in my opinion, fans deserve their $100 back because it was fraudulent based on Manny’s undisclosed injury. Many betters, too, were screwed out of money because of that undisclosed injury. To me, this was the last fight that I ever bought on Pay Per View. I was done with this fraudulent sport.

With boxing, you have to endure a long undercard… Hence why most main event fights start around midnight or 1am if you live in the Eastern Timezone. And honestly, most of the undercard matches are torture to get through. Luckily, you and your friends make an event out of watching a big boxing Pay Per View, so you’re socializing, slamming some pizza or buffalo wings, or having some drinks. Since many of the undercard matches SUCK, you are free to socialize and catch-up with buddies. Still, if you really just want to see 1 fight, you endure 3-4 hours of CRAP before you get what you paid for.

Occasionally, you’ll get a good undercard match-up within that bunch that helps lessen the blow of a major Pay Per View purchase with boxing. Ya know, when the boxers actually try to punch each other and go for a Knockout instead of clutching and avoiding each other for 10 rounds?

Luckily, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson had one such great undercard match and that was between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano who are about as good as it gets with women’s boxing. That was a BATTLE and both ladies BROUGHT IT in front of likely 150 million watching it on YouTube.

THAT SAID, let’s highlight what is WRONG with boxing. Amanda Serrano landed more punches in a fight with zero knockdowns. Katie Taylor lost a point for headbutting, too… Yet, Katie Taylor won a unanimous decision. Huh? Taylor won by landing fewer punches and losing a point for headbutting… How does THAT make sense? While I could argue quality of punches over quantity for Taylor, which I believe is how the judges decided it, the fact is that Serrano landed a bunch of quality punches from the quantity that she threw.

This kind of BS result is what makes boxing infuriating to watch… Sometimes the Judges get it wrong, yet in boxing, you have to live with that decision because having rematches in boxing is highly political and difficult to achieve. Why? Boxing has 4 different organizations who determine titles, weight classes, and contenders: WBO, IBF, WBA, and WBC. For as much as we argue about RAW vs. Smackdown, could imagine the WWE splitting their roster 4 ways and creating 4 separate sets of championships? At least with WWE, it’s contained in-house whereas setting up a boxing card is extremely difficult especially if you want your top drawing fighters to fight.

Getting back to the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao FRAUD that was perpetrated… Remember how difficult it was to get that fight set-up? They were initially negotiating during 2009 for a 2010 fight. Almost immediately, there were issues splitting up the money evenly between the fighters and then there was an issue over drug testing, whether to go Olympic style or not based on one fighter’s accusations made about another. Then, there was drama over which weight class that this fight should represent, and that matters based on how you train or what your body is typically used to. Drama dragged out for years, wearing boxing fans out, until the match finally happened during May 2015 and the fight SUCKED. Both guys let themselves get 5-6 years older instead of fighting each other in their absolute primes. Even then, it’s likely that Floyd’s defensive style would have made for a boring fight anyway.

Compare that to UFC… Now with UFC events, you do see a thicker card and get to enjoy more punch for your money… Thus, the likelihood of seeing at least 1 great fight, if not several, occurs… However, I would argue with UFC is there is a lack of quality within the quantity. And I don’t just mean within the card, but having so many UFC events whether they are officially numbered Pay Per Views or not. UFC just floods the market with their content and thus doesn’t make it special. Furthermore, with the way Dana White runs the operations and his “BRAND over fighters” philosophy, it’s hard for anyone to get strong traction in that promotion to earn more money and once anyone has a few losses over there, they are gone. Ronda Rousey found that out after just 2 losses despite putting women’s MMA on the map, at the time.

Boxing is high risk, high reward… While UFC gives you too much quantity and not enough quality. Even there biggest moments don’t feel as special or dramatic as boxing. There’s a REASON why an older Mike Tyson drew hundreds of millions of eyeballs worldwide last night. Sorry, but nobody from UFC compares to the drawing magnitude of Tyson. The guy is a legend, whereas top UFC fighters are forgotten about immediately outside of its diehard fanbase.

Which brings me to Pro Wrestling… Now, it does have a QUANTITY issue and I’d argue that watching RAW or Smackdown is actually unnecessary as a wrestling fan. They are just wasting your time… If you just watched the Premium Live Events as a WWE fan, you’d walk away very satisfied because PLEs are stacked with quality matches and consistently gives you entertainment. Wrestling can control its results and thus ensure that EVERYONE involved in the match looks strong. WWE has the advantage of storytelling and controlling who wins and loses, while allowing a story to be created to give multiple second chances to wrestlers. Boxing and UFC discards their top fighters after a few crucial losses.

In Pro Wrestling, you can work well into your 40s and that’s now translating into your 50s, too. Hell with Sting, your 60s! Mike Tyson looked shot last night, but someone like Sting can perform in a reasonable fashion where spots are created to highlight his strengths and hide his weaknesses. Mike Tyson clearly had a knee issue while also protecting his face too much in that fight last night. In wrestling, creative booking can hide someone’s age… Go watch that Lesnar vs. Goldberg match from Wrestlemania, as I’d argue that’s the most exciting 5 minute match ever. Goldberg is NOT a good wrestler, yet Paul Heyman’s creative scripting of the match hid Goldberg’s weaknesses. The end result was pure electricity that actually LIVED UP TO THE HYPE.

Every month, wrestling fans watch Premium Live Events (PLE) are mostly satisfied with the shows. If a bad result occurs, they know that a rematch is coming. There isn’t RED TAPE to cut through to have said rematch, unlike what you see in the very political boxing world or UFC, and thus you’ll see that rematch soon. But if you don’t see that rematch soon, you’ll see other contenders immediately thrown at the top wrestler’s way.

Wrestling has the advantage because it can script everything, from the big moments to finishes… Thus, wrestling gives you a consistently good to great PLE or PPV. Even if the promotion has a bad in-ring night, which happens… You have faith and trust that the next show will improve upon that bad night. Why? Because WWE has done that for years. Not every event on the 12 month calendar is great, but if a bad night happens, WWE’s creative and production team will hold meetings to discuss what went wrong and what to fix. Boxing and UFC doesn’t have that, while dealing with agents and other legal issues to arranging matches, let alone rematches.

The way that wrestling keeps their superstars looking strong should always be commended. Lose often in boxing or UFC, and you’re out! But again in wrestling, characters can be rebuilt and creative booking can help keep “Father Time” in the closet for a while. Look at Ric Flair during the 2000s with Evolution… The man was in his mid 50s while hanging with Batista, Orton, and Triple H while actually working a full-time schedule himself. As you just saw with Mike Tyson, he struggled to box against a 27 year old who is actually at the lower end of the weight classes as a fighter, if he actually fought boxers… But thanks to the magic of pro wrestling, Ric Flair was allowed to remain the “Nature Boy” and perform at a high level because of the booking and his opponents making him look strong.

Honest question for those who watched Tyson vs. Paul last night… Are you willing to give Mike Tyson another chance for a boxing match?

Let me rephrase that… Would you PAY to see another fight featuring Mike Tyson? I believe that most of you would say “HELL NO”! After that fight, I don’t want to fall into a trap with Jake Paul, either. No thanks, as nothing impressed me about Paul’s fighting technique, though I respect him for pulling punches after the third round knowing that Mike couldn’t compete. Boxing has been “dead to me” thanks to Floyd vs. Manny for years now, so this Tyson vs. Paul match reminded me of what a farce the sport has become. Top athletes are playing basketball, football, baseball, or mixed-martial arts rather than joining boxing and its loads of red tape divided amongst its 4 federations and weight classes.

With WWE, just pay your monthly subscription to Peacock and coming soon, Netflix, to enjoy consistently GREAT Paid Live Events featuring wrestlers who you’ll get to enjoy for years. It’s nice to have consistency in your life and stronger bangs for your bucks.

Especially now that Triple H has ramped up the quality, along with Roman Reigns finally shining as a top superstar. I feel like I’m stealing money from the WWE when their product is this good. Hell, try being a teenager and coming up with $5-$10 bucks with your buddies during the 1990s to buy WWE or WCW Pay Per Views. Five or Ten bucks mattered back then, but you were willing to pay for quality. The Monday Night Wars fed us good and the Pay Per Views were worthwhile buys… Now, compare that to boxing Pay Per Views during the 1990s and they often fumbled the ball on the quality and I can remember my Mom yelling at my Dad for wanting to purchase yet another high priced boxing PPV especially in light of how disappointing the previous event was. Losing $50 during the 1990s hurt…

That’s why I’m proud to be an invested wrestling fan, and why I keep boxing and UFC at arm’s length. I don’t trust boxing or UFC, whereas I can trust WWE to give me quality PLEs for at least half of their year’s offerings, if not more.

And I believe that Endeavor purchasing WWE for roughly $10 billion (or so) happened for a reason. They could have been satisfied with just being the owner of UFC, but I think that they know UFC can have its limitations. With WWE, they can keep superstars stronger and for longer, which accumulates more merchandise sales and stronger brand awareness. WWE can send its wrestlers anywhere for appearances or autograph signings whereas UFC struggles in that based on their “chew up fighters, spit them out” model. UFC discarded Ronda Rousey after just 2 losses, but she goes to the WWE and draws money for years. WWE got 10 years out of Brock Lesnar after he left UFC after a few losses and an illness.

While UFC is larger right now due to the Pay Per View empire that they’ve built and sports gambling, give WWE a few years… Now that the booking is finally good again, thank you Triple H and Paul Heyman, WWE is going to keep growing for years. With the right investments in its developmental system, they’ll be able to churn out more superstars than ever before. Endeavor/TKO will give WWE the right resources to achieve this, too, as they are much more connected to the entertainment and agent world. Endeavor bought WWE knowing they could make it better and grow beyond what was becoming an obsolete Vince McMahon model.

Fool me once, shame on me… But boxing isn’t going to fool me multiple times here in the 21st century with its gimmicks and lack of real superstars that once made the sport great. Neither is UFC and their quantity of shows and quantity of fighters use that makes it so difficult to follow.

Give me Pro Wrestling (WWE, not the “all elite” nonsense) over Boxing or UFC any day of the week. Their monthly PLEs won’t let you down like Boxing or UFC can, while offering actual consistency instead of boxing’s high risk, high reward model and those rewards are few & far between to be honest.

There’s a reason why Logan Paul, Jake’s brother, is doing well in the WWE… WWE’s booking can take that “heat” generated as a YouTube superstar and present Logan as a credible wrestler. He tried boxing, too, but hasn’t seen much action from promoters since losing to Floyd Mayweather in a boring fight.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul on Netflix Was a Reminder that Pro Wrestling is BETTER than Boxing/UFC appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.