However, I cannot help but observe that many aren’t enjoying their Wrestlemania experience this year… So much misery out there. Why? Isn’t THIS the WWE that you’ve been wanting for years? A WWE without a McMahon helming it? You’ve been begging for this for YEARS, yet you still seem incredibly divisive. Hell, I can’t even write any columns about WWE without getting personally attacked for having a different opinion.

My opinion heading into Wrestlemania 40 has been very simple… Triple H has been doing a good job with WWE Creative and had a great vision of building up a rematch between Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns. The Brock Lesnar feud through SummerSlam 2023 was a way to strengthen Cody as a Main Eventer and it worked. Then, Cody wins the 2024 Royal Rumble match to earn the #1 contendership at Wrestlemania and he points at Roman to end the show. Perfectly done…

This storyline build already sold-out (or close to it) Wrestlemania 40 in Philadelphia. They didn’t need any added support, as the fans were 100% invested in Cody’s story and seeing the Bloodline finally “get theirs” at Wrestlemania 40 for years upon years of escaping losing the WWE Titles.

Then, we get a crazy week where the following events happen:

(1) WWE announces Netflix deal and the Rock joining the WWE Board of Directors for $30 million in stock options.

(2) Janel Grant’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis, and WWE is filed and details are made public.

The latter event sent Endeavor and TKO into a panic, and they then forced their hand by inserting The Rock into the WWE main event. For the many, many WWE fans invested in Cody getting a second crack at Roman, per the close WM 39 finish & Cody overcoming Lesnar, they were upset and got very vocal online. Some, unfortunately, harassed Rock’s daughter about it but that’s a very slim minority. Most fans were just honestly invested in Cody’s rise and felt he was THE GUY to finally take down Roman. Merchandise sales, drawing numbers, attendance, etc. seem to apply metrics to validate Cody’s push.

Because Corporations are how heavily driven by analytics and sensitive to Social Media, Endeavor/TKO panicked once again and thus WWE reverted back to Cody vs. Roman Reigns. However, the Rock, a former wrestler, felt the heat of the initial switch and decided to lean into it as a new heel character. After all, his schedule was free after his television show was cancelled and didn’t have any movies to film until this Summer. Rock got poisoned by the wrestling bug again and is really pumping out quality stuff as a heel which was miles better than his babyface efforts of 2012-2013 when feuding with Cena (Cena crushed him on promos, “writing on your wrist”).

HOWEVER and this is the biggest point of them all… The Rock is attacking guys like Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins with a bazooka while Cody & Seth are totally limited on their replies. Rock has 100% freedom do to and say anything he wants on Social Media. Cody and Seth’s Social Media accounts are controlled by WWE and their contracts limit anything they can say publicly. TKO/WWE Corporation would severely punish Cody or Seth if they dropped vulgarity or went off character on their Social Media accounts. FACT. The Rock has his own special television writer (Brian Gewirtz) while Cody & Seth have to read scripts from the overall Creative Team that everyone else has to use. The Rock can ad lib and improvise away from the script, while Cody & Seth have to stick with the script no matter what. It’s an UNFAIR fight.

It’s just like CM Punk during August/September 2011 when he’s feuding with Triple H and while CM Punk is delivering scripted lines put in place by HHH’s wife’s Creative Team, Triple H is unscripted and literally shooting on CM Punk. You know, the famous one that everyone memed when CM Punk was terminated by AEW where Punk is sitting at a table and HHH is shooting on him. Same issue was with Stephanie McMahon repeatedly calling Daniel Bryan a “B+ Player”. Like CM Punk, he couldn’t fire off an unscripted response… Both men had to stand there and take it. Ironically in the end, both guys lost… Punk never got revenge on HHH, and Bryan’s push saw cold water (the Wrestlemania 30 rig job was a joke) and Stephanie even beat Brie Bella at SummerSlam 2014.

The only way this somewhat works is if Cody Rhodes scores a meaningful win over the Rock… That’s it… But HOW does he do that? Because after all, he’s still feuding with Roman Reigns for the WWE World Titles. Does winning in the tag match on Night #1 satisfy that demand? I don’t know…

And how much of the Rock are we actually going to see wrestle? He’s in his early 50s now and if you recall watching him during 2011-2013, he wasn’t a good wrestler. Rock lacked cardio and was seen sucking wind throughout his matches with Cena or Punk. Then, he tore a muscle during his Wrestlemania 29 match with Cena. There’s a price to pay when looking absolutely jacked, however that is being accomplished. Tendons aren’t meant to hold exceptionally lean muscle, especially on an older body. For example, if Rock gets injured in the Tag Match, then he wouldn’t be available to wrestle Cody, ever, in a match, let alone Roman Reigns.

BUT HERE IS THE REAL ISSUE… By me simply articulating this opinion, I’m the enemy. I’m a bad guy for professionally stating my opinion and have been personally attacked by many readers, people from other websites, and even a few know-it-alls here at NoDQ.

I see nothing but attacks by diehard Roman fans, diehard Cody fans, and now older marks of the Rock. Hell, I’m even seeing attacks by Vince McMahon apologists, the ones who don’t want Roman Reigns to lose at all. For simply stating an opinion that (a) Wrestlemania 40 didn’t need the overbooking or the Rock and (b) Cody and Seth are restricted by the WWE’s policies to properly respond to the Rock’s unscripted attacks.

The online wrestling community should be CELEBRATING right now for Wrestlemania 40, as you’re now 100% free of Vince McMahon and many wrestlers, across the board, are doing their best work ever. Yet, you’re all miserable and looking for a pissing match online.

Things could be MUCH WORSE, WWE fans… You could have blown millions on 4 talents (Adam Copeland, Mercedes Moné, Will Ospreay, and Kazuchika Okada) and still barely draw 800,000 and LOW YouTube numbers for your top Dynamite show weekly. And yikes, the television show attendance since Mercedes’s debut has been dropping… Plenty of tickets available, and lots of tarping happening in those smaller arenas. That place is total misery, as the Creative SUCKS and now the morale is gonna sink after the overpaid wrestlers didn’t boost the numbers.

But instead, WWE fans are incredibly miserable and very militant on their opinions. I can’t post a column without getting personally attacked. Rock can post whatever he wants, whenever he wants while Cody/Seth are restricted. Rock can ad lib and gets his own writer, Cody/Seth have to use the same creative team and can’t improvise at all. Also, attacking your own fans as “crybabies”… The fans are the ones who have PAID the WWE their top dollars to enjoy the content for the past 2 years to help them get into a better position to get these Netflix deals. They aren’t crying, they were appreciating the quality that Triple H’s storytelling was providing and don’t appreciate the pure chaos that has been injected by the Rock.

And in the end, Cody vs. Roman, the initially planned match, has been overshadowed by the Rock doing 20-30 minute promos on various Smackdowns. The shine on the Rock vs. Roman match is GONE, as the foolish idea to rush that match has diminished the drawing power of that and would need serious creative help to re-establish (now likely to be babyface Roman vs. heel Rock). And Roman Reigns was the #1 heel and character of the WWE but he’s had to take a backseat to the Rock. Important point brought up by Pat McAfee on his show Friday… Roman has CARRIED the WWE since the COVID-19 era, as the WWE viewing audience was shrinking considerably. Then, Roman changes his character and along with Paul Heyman, helped grow the WWE numbers organically again.

That’s where I think Rock calling himself “final boss” is BS… Roman IS the final boss and has been since the Bloodline stable began. The Rock is just riding the bandwagon that Roman and Heyman built, and I think that’s BS. Sure, once the dust is settled, Rock and Roman will have their feud and it will be huge… But it could have been bigger.

Imagine this… Rock remains silent and doesn’t interject himself into the Wrestlemania 40 booking… Cody vs. Roman goes on as planned and they have an epic match BUT it looks to be ending the same with Solo trying to interfere again (maybe Jimmy too). As this is about to happen, the Rock’s “IF YOU SMELLLLL” music plays and Rock clears the ring of the Bloodline scum. Now, the playing field is even and Cody can go on to vanquish Roman Reigns as World Champion. Then, Rock and Roman can spend the rest of 2024 and 2025 building up a MASSIVE Rock vs. Roman match to likely headline Wrestlemania 41. Much, much, easier path to do this.

Instead, we injected nothing but booking chaos and have unleashed a Rock character that has an unfair amount of resources at his disposal to make the rest of the WWE roster look bad. When the Rock leaves after Wrestlemania 40 to film a movie, what then? Cody has been tarred and feathered, while Roman became a BETA to the Rock acting like the ALPHA.

But by me stating my opinion professionally and with FACTS, I’m the bad guy in many militant fans’ eyes.

Go watch wrestling from 2018 and get back to me on how BAD that stuff was compared to this… Good lord, you fans are miserable!

And I want to emphasize that through chaos, there is still quality here in the WWE… Rock’s promos are great, not disputing that. We’re getting what could be a crazy match with Rock/Roman vs. Seth/Cody, which I think has the opportunity to benefit Cody and Seth. It’s good to have the Rock back because he’s an all-time great talent.

But damn it, level the playing field… While Cody/Seth have controlled Social Media accounts and have to rely on a Creative Team to be scripted, Rock can literally say whatever he wants on Social Media and gets the luxury of 1 writer crafting stuff for him while the Rock can improvise whenever he wants. That’s total CRAP and should be against whatever policies are in place by TKO and WWE.

I don’t care if he’s the Rock… His role as a Board Member is to make the company he represents look great, not just himself. Again, hopefully he redeems Cody and Seth by putting them over cleanly, but I have my doubts based on prior WWE history. And I recall who won at Wrestlemania 28, too…

Onto my predictions that I’m sure will get attacked with personal insults, too.

Mr. Tito’s PHAT Wrestlemania 40 Predictions

Keep in mind that I’m writing these early, as of 3/24/24. The card is always “subject to change”. But any major show that adds matches within 2 weeks of a show is a disorganized mess and is just rigging things to get everyone a Wrestlemania payout.

Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley
I am purposely placing this match first in my predictions… How on earth is anyone saying this should Main Event a Wrestlemania show, especially this one? Sure, Bayley won the Royal Rumble and I understand the older advertising of “gets to main event Wrestlemania”, but getting a World Title match at Wrestlemania itself is important. But neither Bayley or Iyo are strongly drawing. Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch have a WAY better argument to Main Event over this match.

I just don’t see any excitement for this match. Iyo Sky and her tiny self hasn’t generated any heat as a World Champion and Bayley isn’t the same as she once was. The whole “Ding Dong” stuff was pure cringe and the Damage CTRL stable hasn’t generated any excitement for me. Not doing much for me here, but the Damage CTRL stable is a weak one without Bayley and I expect her to vanquish it at Wrestlemania. Bayley’s overall career has been great, past few years aside, and this will be a reward for it.

Tito’s Prediction: Bayley

*****

6 Pack Ladder Match for the Tag Titles
“Everyone gets a Wrestlemania payday”. Furthermore, let’s have everyone do their favorite daredevil stunts from ladders to see who can get injured first and cost TKO/Endeavor money by paying medical bills. The more hilarious part is that the Money in the Bank briefcase holder, Damian Priest is in this match… So if he gets beat up during this match, how would he muster up the energy to possibly take a World Title away?

There’s a lot of love for R-Truth lately, and I think he and Miz will escape this match and become Tag Champions.

Tito’s Prediction: R-Truth & Miz

*****

Gunther(c) vs. Sami Zayn
Don’t doubt that Damian Priest cashes in the MITB briefcase here… After a hard fought match against Sami, whom I expect Gunther to defeat, this could be an opportunity. Gunther losing the title could free him up to be Cody’s first opponent following Wrestlemania 40 for the WWE Title…

I like Sami, but he just won the gauntlet challenge to get here and there really isn’t much “sense of urgency” to make him IC Champ or for him to end Gunther’s reign. It’s just a reward for hard work, and thus a good Wrestlemania spot because damn Brock Lesnar was named in the lawsuit to end the Brock vs. Gunther initially booked match. That lawsuit has been a total wrecking ball to the WWE this year.

Tito’s Prediction: Gunther, with a slight chance of MITB cash-in from Priest

*****

LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Remember when Kevin Nash savaged LA Knight by calling him a cheap Rock imitation? Well, with the Rock back, LA Knight hasn’t been as interesting… Well, isn’t that fascinating? Kevin Nash was right… Much like the 2024 Primary season when Ron DeSantis tried to act like Trump but he failed miserably because he wasn’t the real deal. Since Knight is regressing, I’m changing my mind on this prediction. Furthermore, AJ Styles is JACKED right now and WWE tends to reward those who get in absurd shape. I could see an AJ Styles win here and then they keep feuding through the summer.

Tito’s Prediction: AJ Styles

*****

Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
This match has “hot opener” written all over it… To me, the prediction is obvious because Jey is the baby face and Jimmy is a heel that doesn’t have much established as a singles wrestler. There’s always a chance of Solo interference, but I predict Jimmy will do something before the match to have him stay in the locker room. After all, the interference is coming later in that big Tag Match.

Tito’s Prediction: Jey Uso

*****

Logan Paul(c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens
Again, I would not be surprised if Damian Priest sneaks into this match… Just seems too obvious that you have 2 babyfaces in this match against a heel in Logan Paul. I don’t see much benefit putting the US Title around Randy’s waist, while if Owens wins the title, he won’t hold it for long. I see Logan getting sneaky or cheating to win the match, maybe by pitting Orton and Owens against each other (creates a feud after Wrestlemania too).

Tito’s Prediction: Logan Paul

*****

Rhea Ripley vs. Becky Lynch
I like this match A LOT… In my opinion, both of these 2 are among the most talented women’s wrestlers and I expect both to put on a supreme 20-25 minute match much like Charlotte and Rhea did last year. Rhea is very talented, but Becky is too. I think you’re going to see an all-time female match here but with Rhea retaining to continue to solidify her as champion. Keep in mind that WWE wants longer title reigns and Rhea will remain as champion. But winning doesn’t matter… Just blow the roof off the arena and that matters, no matter if you’re in the main event spot or not.

Tito’s Prediction: Rhea Ripley

*****

Seth Rollins(c) vs. Drew McIntyre
I expect Seth to be selling an injury, as this match is on Night #2 and he’s coming off the knee surgery. That will be the story of the match and Seth selling the injury may prompt (dare I say it again) Damian Priest to invade this match, either during or possibly afterward. Either way, I don’t see Seth escaping this match as Champion. He’ll be the true victim of the previous night’s tag match, especially if this is the hot opener of Day 1 meaning he had much less than 24 hours to recover. Drew will take advantage and win the title here to set up CM Punk vs. Drew in the future. Then, Punk wins the World Heavyweight Championship from Drew to possibly set up Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk in the future when Roman moves to RAW.

Tito’s Prediction: Drew McIntyre (MITB cash-in likely fails)

*****

Roman Reigns/The Rock vs. Cody Rhodes/Seth Rollins
Seems too obvious that the stipulation on the line for this Tag Team match will be desired to happen on Night #2 for Cody vs. Roman. I don’t see any way for Cody and Seth to win UNLESS there’s a moment where Rock and Roman collide or interference goes wrong. I expect Jimmy and/or Solo to interfere here to cause Roman Reigns to pin Cody Rhodes to “up the stakes” for Night #2. What will Cody do after getting pinned and having the Bloodline stipulation added to his match? Should be interesting to see how the heel work is done between Roman and Rock, as I expect them to work on Seth Rollins as the “babyface in peril” by attacking the injured leg and then the hot tag will be Cody Rhodes unleashing a fury.

But I believe this Bloodline stipulation is wanted and desired for Night #2, so thus Rock and Roman are going to win.

Tito’s Prediction: Rock & Roman Reigns

*****

Roman Reigns(c) vs. Cody Rhodes
The Bloodline stipulation will be added to this match, per the Night #1 tag match favoring Roman/Rock. Thus, expect the Rock on commentary talking smack and attacking, when necessary, and Jimmy and Solo on the outside acting like Lumberjacks. Hell, the Rock already has his strap, so I expect Cody to be beaten senseless throughout this match. Anytime Cody gets the upperhand, Bloodline interferes… But I expect many close call pins, as the Bloodline’s frustration starts to grow when they can’t put him away. Then, I expect the Bloodline to get cocky and just beat down Cody for fun without even trying to pin him… It’s within that section of the match where things go wrong, and the Rock or Roman will accidentally hit the other with something… I believe Rock will nail Roman and that will lead to Cody attacking the Rock and hitting him with a CrossRhodes will disposing of Jimmy/Solo. Then, it’s Cody vs. Roman one-on-one and Cody completes his story.

THAT SAID – I am always hesitant on Roman Reigns ever losing lately. I could see Cody disposing of Rock/Jimmy/Solo as described above and Roman seizes upon that distraction to hit a SPEAR to get the win.

At this point, though, I believe WWE wants to appease the loyal WWE fanbase and get them their Cody big win for the WWE Title. That will end the Rhodes story of capturing the title that eluded Dusty Rhodes and the WWE move forward, likely with Cody losing the title shortly after winning it and maybe even back to Roman. Who knows? But I see Cody being a Smackdown brand wrestler once the new TV deals are in place. The Anti-AEW and Rhodes Story shine will be gone by then.

Tito’s Prediction: Cody Rhodes

—————–

THE LAST WORD: Personally, this could be an all-time great Wrestlemania… But it was already shaping to be that anyway because the WWE roster is stacked and the Creative is doing an overall good job under Triple H’s leadership. The Rock has to “get his”, though, as his unfiltered and unscripted shadow has been cast too much over the entire WWE roster who aren’t allowed to operate in the same manner as the Rock. We’ll see what happens to the self-proclaimed “final boss” for this event and if it benefits Roman, Seth, and Cody at all afterward.

But remember, what I’ve just posted above are OPINIONS and mine isn’t any more special than yours. Get over it if someone’s opinion upsets you, particularly about a wrestling event where winners and losers of matches are determined ahead of time.

CLICK HERE for the Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: My WWE Wrestlemania 40 Predictions and Pushing Back on Miserable Wrestling Marks appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

In my opinion, TKO/Endeavor is also overrating the Vince McMahon controversy. From mid-2022, we knew that Vince McMahon was pond scum. While the lawsuit details are very cringeworthy, we already knew that Vince had his way with the victim and pimped her off to John Laurinaitis. It’s old news and Endeavor’s TKO corporate structure already made Vince McMahon’s role irrelevant. While he was TKO Board Chairman, Endeavor owns 51% of TKO and can easily overrule any decision he made. In addition, Endeavor blocked Vince McMahon from meddling in WWE’s daily operations via the organizational chart and assigning him corporate duties. Thus, as I’ll argue, their over-reactions to shoehorn the Rock into Wrestlemania and then instantly turning him heel will prove to be problematic long-term.

The FACT is that the Rock vs. Roman Reigns was NOT planned, even though goofball “news insiders” will try to lie and insist it was the plan, all along, since early January. Meanwhile, their other reports were indicating that CM Punk would challenge Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship and that “Rock was off the table for 2024” leading to Cody winning the Rumble to challenge Roman Reigns. Cody did, in fact, win the 2024 Royal Rumble match to allow him to become the #1 contender for a world title at Wrestlemania.

Then, the Vince McMahon lawsuit hit and Endeavor completely over-reacted. Instead of realizing that Triple H had built up a STABLE product that wasn’t heavily micro-managed by Vince McMahon, Endeavor went into PUBLIC RELATIONS MODE and completely wrecked the WWE’s long-term plans for Wrestlemania 40. Yes, CM Punk and Seth Rollins were hurt while Brock Lesnar was unavailable, but the show in Philly had long sold out and Cody vs. Roman II would have drawn. Instead of trusting in Triple H, who helped make the WWE really successful again since 2022, Endeavor panicked and foolishly placed the Rock into a situation that he’s not capable of handling.

Let’s be honest about the Rock… Great wrestling talent from 1996 to 2004, one of the all-time greats. He’s made lots of money in the box office, though I can’t quite pinpoint successful franchises where he was the lead star like I can for Arnold or Sylvester. Overall, very nice guy who does a lot for charity… I thought it was foolish for him to buy the XFL, but he bought it cheap via bankruptcy proceedings and now he’s part of the upcoming subpar UFL league that will also not make money. I wouldn’t exactly call “managing the XFL” experience, especially since his ex-wife handles much of the day-to-day operations of that.

With that said, what exactly qualified the Rock to be on a Corporate Board? Aside from the XFL, which has been a struggle (why else would it already merge?), what managerial decision making or corporate management experience does the Rock have? Aside from being a performer for the WWE, what experience does he have managing a wrestling company? What experience does he have to help manage the UFC? There’s none on that level.

The fact is that the Rock joined TKO’s board not just because he’s an ex-WWE star and has lots of fame, but folks within Endeavor have been his Hollywood agents and it doesn’t hurt that he’s childhood friends with Nick Khan. What else explains why an Endeavor corporation, likely using their 51% voting share, push the Rock onto the TKO board and offer him $30 million in stock? And then suddenly, instead of settling in, the Rock thrusts himself onto the WWE product and completely changes Triple H’s long-term plans for Wrestlemania 40.

Before yesterday (Thursday 2/8), I had no problems with Rock vs. Roman Reigns and I indicated that as such in my 2/3 Column. In my opinion, it was a dream match and with Rock being an actor, his schedule was limited and you essentially take what you can get from him. I felt that online wrestling fans were taking things too far and maybe believed in Cody way too much. That was proven by a small % of fans who were harassing the Rock’s daughter online.

Honestly, I’m not that big of a Cody Rhodes fan… I think he’s talented and a good performer, but just missing that extra gear or “it factor” that is in the DNA of top stars. I also think “finish the story” isn’t about him, but about his father Dusty Rhodes. In my mind, how Cody was poorly used through the mid 2010s should be “the story”. He should be PISSED more about how he was used, but instead, we get a lot more Dusty name dropping. Hell, you JUST HEARD IT at Thursday’s Las Vegas event about Dusty Rhodes. THAT is Cody’s story, trying to vicariously repair the WWE letdown that Dusty had through Cody, not repairing Cody’s own WWE struggles during the 2010s.

I figured all of this negativity towards Rock vs. Roman would die down, and fans would grow to accept Cody vs. Seth Rollins. Hell, I even presented the opportunity that Cody and Seth Rollins could just overwhelm Wrestlemania 40 with the quality of their match to prove something.

BUT THEN… WWE changed its mind again.

*FACE PALM*

That’s what I liked about Triple H‘s new reign on Creative since mid-2022… HE WAS PATIENT with storylines and let them playout. Then, when you got the amazing payoff (see Royal Rumble 2023 with Zami Zayn), you felt fulfilled by sticking around for the storyline. Instead of having endless kneejerk reactions like Vince McMahon often did, Triple H gave storylines room to breathe. Cody should THANK Triple H for helping him build this “finish the story” storyline, as HHH did a masterful job in booking his return run. Even when Vince McMahon meddled with a few early 2023 stuff, Triple H got Cody back on the right path such as resolving the Brock Lesnar storyline through SummerSlam 2023. Wasn’t that rewarding?

Now, however, the Creative is utter chaos because Endeavor/TKO are SCARED of Vince McMahon‘s lawsuit news and probably wondering if another shoe is about to drop. Meanwhile, those corporate FOOLS don’t realize that Vince McMahon’s troubles are OLD NEWS and that all of us WWE fans are 100% behind Triple H.

See, in my mind, I’m not feeling bad for Cody Rhodes in this situation… Yeah, it’s tough, but in my mind, his CHASE is the draw of his character. No, I feel bad for Triple H. Everything that he’s worked for in the past year to build Wrestlemania 40 has been thrown away.

So we go from Cody Rhodes vs. Roman to Rock vs. Roman, with Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins. We could have had TWO MONTHS to build those match-ups and make them worthwhile for fans. But NOOOOOOOOOO, the TKO/Endeavor had to meddle with the WWE’s creative and force changes once again.

Now, we somehow have Cody choosing Roman Reigns for his Wrestlemania 40 match-up, thanks to winning the Rumble match, and that somehow aligns the Rock with Roman Reigns. Wait a second… I thought Rock had an issue with Roman declaring himself to be the “Head of the Table”. However, he wants to side with his loosely tied family member now with Roman? Huh? How can your character call out Roman a few weeks ago with his RAW appearance, but now buddy up with him?

And that’s on top of the Rock attacking the WWE audience and calling them “Cody Crybabies” on Pat McAfee‘s show. Yeah, I realize that you are probably pissed at the small % who were being ignorant towards your daughter, but that’s not the majority of wrestling fans backing Cody. They were 100% invested in Triple H’s storytelling and looking for a payoff. For you, Dwayne Johnson, to belittle and slam the loyal paying fans that you CLAIM to represent as a new TKO Board Member is a JOKE. Furthermore, many of those fans who were 100% invested in Triple H’s storytelling of Cody Rhodes “finishing his story” were also BIG FANS of the Rock during the late 1990s and early 2000s. They spent time and money to make you a superstar, just as they are doing with Cody Rhodes right now.

THAT is where I now have a problem with the Rock‘s involvement. I can see clearly now…

With the Rock not only taking the Wrestlemania 40 spot with Roman BUT also turning himself HEEL, he’s completely hijacked Wrestlemania 40 and for the worse. Worse yet, you’ve actually REDUCED the value of Roman Reigns as a heel. The whole damn point of having Rock vs. Roman was a classic babyface versus heel dream match between a top wrestler from a past generation against today’s current top superstar. With Rock taking Cody’s match, which I was at first cool with, but now belittling WWE fans and then fully turning heel by slapping Cody and joining Roman Reigns in Las Vegas, the Rock has officially ruined Triple H’s plans for Wrestlemania 40, bigtime.

There is no value in Cody vs. Roman because the WWE just backtracked. Furthermore, the HEAT with Roman Reigns is gone because all of the heel energy is on the Rock.

The value of Rock vs. Roman Reigns is now gone, too… Rock has turned himself heel, trying to embrace this minority of wrestling fans complaining on Social Media. Him attacking WWE fans as “Cody Crybabies” was disgusting and the complications at the Las Vegas event paint an even worse picture. 2 weeks ago, nobody was thinking of Rock as a heel… Now, only thing that gets headlines from the WWE is Rock’s involvement INSTEAD of focusing on the great Creative work that Triple H just did to help Wrestlemania 40 sell out.

That’s right, Wrestlemania 40 already sold all of its tickets BEFORE the Rock joined. Why? Because Triple H was doing a great job with the company and didn’t need Rock’s star power.

Now, however, Triple H has to deal with Rock’s star power, whether he wants it or not.

And I want to stress how idiotic this reaction has been by Endeavor/TKO… You are overrating the effect of Vince McMahon‘s lawsuit. Endeavor rendered Vince useless and we already knew about Vince’s issue, thanks to the heavy news reporting that occurred before Vince McMahon resigned during June 2022. So why are you overreacting? The tickets in Philadelphia already sold… With Punk and Rollins hurt, while Lesnar was cancelled, it’s NEXT MAN UP and Triple H has an army of wrestlers through early 2024 that could step up. LA Knight, AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Solo Sikoa, Austin Theory, and many more. Hell, go sign Okada if you need a talent and he’d love to give 100% on that Wrestlemania stage.

I believe that the Rock, backed by TKO and Endeavor, have over-reacted to several situations here.

(1) Overrated the effect Vince McMahon’s lawsuit would have no public relations. Did they not notice how Slim Jim returned once Vince resigned?

(2) They did not realize how fully invested WWE fans were in Triple H’s long-term storylines.

(3) They over-reacted to the online fans over-reacting, hence the rapid changes done at the Las Vegas event.

And I predict that following said Las Vegas event, there will be more changes coming because the Rock and TKO/Endeavor’s rabbit ears will be up and assessing and micro-managing the online reaction once again.

Honestly, they could have made things simple… After the Smackdown where the Rock took the match, they could have embraced said heat and had Cody Rhodes cut a passionate promo on RAW where he REJECTS the idea of Rock taking his match with Roman. Then on Smackdown, the Rock appears again and has a “come to Jesus” moment where he realizes he was wrong and opts to back-out of Wrestlemania. Then the Rock says good things, such as appreciating what Dusty brought to the WWE but also being proud of the work that Cody has done for the past 2 years. They shake hands, and that’s it. Rock can wrestle Roman another day.

Then, we have Wrestlemania 40 and Cody vs. Roman is the MAIN EVENT. Once again, we get the Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa interference but instead of being successful, the Rock comes down and takes out Solo and Jimmy. That kills the interference and now Roman is vulnerable to eat a clean loss. Cody wins the WWE Title at Wrestlemania 40 and “finishes the story”.

On the RAW after Wrestlemania, Roman Reigns hijacks the show from the start and calls out the Rock. The Rock just made things personal and as the “head of the table”, he’s not having it. And thus does the BOLD thing of challenging the Rock to a match at Wrestlemania 41. That’s right, we’re doing the 1 year build once again that helped make John Cena vs. Rock #1 at Wrestlemania 28 so big. Thus, Roman will spend the rest of the year still pissed at losing his title while the Rock can still play the hero BECAUSE he helped Cody fend-off Bloodline interference.

But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, the WWE and probably with prodding and meddling from TKO/Endeavor, has opted to embrace this so-called online heat and lean into it by turning the Rock into a full blown heel.

(a) Mocks fans on Pat McAfee’s show as “Cody Crybabies”
(b) Slaps Cody Rhodes in the face
(c) Joins Roman Reigns

Completely idiotic, if you ask me, and I’d be PISSED OFF if I were Triple H on how TKO/Endeavor/Rock have wrecked his long-term plans. From my review of the body language with Triple H, I could see some disappointment in his face though he did enjoy the chaos, a bit, from this Las Vegas event.

Congrats, TKO and Endeavor… Rock vs. Roman Reigns will NEVER mean a damn thing, ever again, as a Dream Match. GONE… Nobody will care about this Bloodline angle and its payoff between family members, ever again. YOU BOTCHED IT.

Furthermore, Cody Rhodes getting his match back with Roman Reigns no longer matters. The STRUGGLE was Cody Rhodes overcoming Roman Reigns, NOT the Rock. Rock shoehorns himself into the Bloodline and that has diminished Roman’s value as the #1 heel instantly. Now, everything is Rock THIS and Rock THAT.

What a joke…

In just 2 weeks, TKO, Endeavor, and the Rock have ruined long-term storylines while also destroying a Dream Match between Rock vs. Roman and also ruined the shine off of defeating Roman Reigns for that unified talent.

The Rock is STEALING all of the oxygen in the room now… What a shame.

If you watch last night’s video at around the 19:50 mark, you can literally see Roman Reigns role as the #1 heel disappear into the night as the Rock steps up to respond to Cody’s promo. Instead of Roman being upset and responding, it was the Rock stealing the spotlight. Then, of course, Rock and Roman are now close buddies…

What a shame.

I guess the heat is now on the Cody vs. Rock match-up, which has barely a week of interest.

Kudos to Seth Rollins for cutting a promo on the Rock with curse words and saying “I don’t care if you’re on the TKO board”. I think that’s how everyone feels now.

Wrestlemania 40 has been micro-managed. Congrats, Rock, you’re back as a WWE wrestler, I suppose.

CLICK HERE for the Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

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Then, suddenly at Smackdown this Friday (2/2/2024), the WWE delivered YOU exactly what you’ve always wanted. The Rock vs. Roman Reigns is officially happening at Wrestlemania 40. When that was announced, ALL OF YOU b*tch and complain about it, some of you are melting down.

First of all, FINGER OF SHAME to all of you fans bashing the WWE right now for actually giving them what they’ve always wanted in a Rock vs. Roman Wrestlemania match. WWE delivered on it, but you somehow hate it anyway.

Sure, Cody Rhodes won the Rumble Match at the 2024 Royal Royal PLE… Sure, it seems that wrestling an injured Seth Rollins seems like a downgrade (I’ll explain later). However, when the Rock wants to wrestle, YOU LET HIM WRESTLE. WWE only has one good shot at a great Roman Reigns match, especially because at Rock’s age, as he’s not physically up to being a wrestler any longer. I guarantee that Rock is hitting the gym, as we speak, just to have some reasonable cardio for his match at Wrestlemania 40.

And as I said before… Everyone puts Wrestlemania on a pedestal. Yes, it’s the top drawing show, but major moments have happened at other shows too. CM Punk always talks about “not headlining Wrestlemania” as if he hasn’t achieved squat in his life. WRONG… That WWE Money in the Bank 2011 match is one of the MOST IMPORTANT WWE matches of all time and it happened on a non-Wrestlemania and a non-Big 3 event. People remember MITB 2011 because of John Cena vs. CM Punk, and most fans know exactly where they were when they watched it. Some of the biggest WWE matches and moments have happened on other shows, while Wrestlemania itself is often a letdown. Cody can “finish his story” later, as his chase is every bit worth as much, if not more, than actually winning the World Title.

But let’s dig into the Cody Rhodes situation…

TWO important points that I want to make… Actually, two important points to prove when bitter and spoiled WWE fans are proven to be utter hypocrites:

(1) Newly created World Heavyweight Championship. Last year, I wrote a column entitled “The New WWE World Heavyweight Title is Just Another Triple H Blunder on April 28, 2023 (proof that I rip into WWE and Triple H, by the way) and many of you attacked me for this column. I posted it right after the RAW reveal of this new World Title, specifically because Roman had both the RAW and Smackdown titles. Many of you ripped me for even thinking this way, suggesting that the new WHC Title on RAW would be great and every bit as credible as Roman’s combined titles.

OK – So BE CONSISTENT! If you believed that Seth Rollins holding this “new great belt” is as credible as “Part-Time Roman” barely defending his title, then why are you UP IN ARMS about Cody choosing to wrestle Seth Rollins instead of Roman Reigns? Exactly… I just used your own ignorant argument against you. YOU CANNOT complain about Cody wrestling Seth for the WHC title and praise the idea of the WHC title being created. Complete hypocrisy.

(2) Post-Wrestlemania RAW complaints about Brock Lesnar. Wasn’t there a public meltdown, too, about Cody Rhodes getting attacked by Brock Lesnar after Wrestlemania 39 last year? This was on top of Cody getting screwed out of beating Roman to “finish his story”, but the nuclear meltdown occurred when Brock Lesnar attacked him on the RAW following Wrestlemania 39. YET, look what Triple H’s Creative Team did for Cody… Cody won 2 out of 3 matches with Brock Lesnar, with the SummerSlam REALLY putting over Cody Rhodes with Lesnar breaking script and honoring Cody in the ring with a handshake which he has NEVER done with any of his opponents since his 2012 return.

You were WRONG on the Brock Lesnar feud, while you once praised the re-creation of the World Heavyweight Champion, but now it’s a “downgrade” because Cody is wrestling for it?

Let me make this very clear and I am trying not to mince words here… YOU HATE PRO WRESTLING IF YOU DON’T WANT THIS ROCK VS. ROMAN REIGNS MATCH.

You are a self-hating pro wrestling fan who doesn’t want to enjoy pro wrestling. You’re getting the biggest DREAM MATCH left during THIS YEAR, and somehow, you act like spoiled brats by acting like you don’t want it.

Cody has 12 PLE events, per year, to “finish his story”… You can only get Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for 1 event, per year if that, because of his movie schedule. The guy has insurance policies on his acting career, folks…

Furthermore, The Rock took public accountability for rebooking Wrestlemania 40’s matches. He’s a new TKO board member, and made the request because after all, he’s the one wrestling the damn match. Additionally, he’s doing so because “CM Punk was injured, it changes plans”, but he’s really doing this to help the WWE. They are getting destroyed in the media thanks to the Vince McMahon allegations, so hence this is truly a “look over here” moment by Rock. How do you tire out old bad news? You push forward GREAT new news (love the Kelce brothers) to focus attention away from the past. In addition, Rock has all of you bitter wrestling fans mad at him and maybe starting to forget how mad you are at Vince. See how that works?

You bunch of spoiled little brats…

Rock vs. Roman Reigns is going to HUGE and is guaranteed to pull in many casual wrestling fans that could join you as loyal wrestling fans. THAT is what matters. Until you understand the BUSINESS part of the “wrestling business” phrase, you’ll forever be a miserable wrestling fan who won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

And here’s the point that I have been making in my columns…

Everything is going to be OK… While I have been very critical of Triple H booking in the past, as I felt he was too inexperienced to run Creative and Talent during the 2010s, I do believe he is experienced now and the Attendance, Viewership, and Merchandise growth validates that. Plus, he’s been overseeing the booking for the past year and a half… What has preceded the MAJOR new television deals with CW for NXT, $1.4 million for Smackdown on USA Network over 5 years, and $5 billion for 5 years on Network for RAW? Oh yeah, Triple H doing creative and many wrestlers are having legitimate resurgences in their careers such as Samy Zayn or LA Knight, while Cody Rhodes is thriving under Triple H too. See the Brock Lesnar feud that I just mention.

For many of those folks hammering the Rock, Triple H, and the WWE for this Wrestlemania 40 sudden booking change, can you show SOME faith in Triple H to figure it out? Many of the same critics of this WM 40 line-up change are also ones who have praised Triple H for replacing Vince McMahon on Creative. Can’t you have a little faith in HHH?

Triple H is doing a GREAT JOB managing a vast roster of talented WWE performers and the quality of WWE shows, particularly the PLEs and the shorter Smackdown shows, has gone way up under his creative role. Furthermore, Triple H delegates authority, thus empowering others backstage to come up with ideas. WWE is collectively stronger now than it was before June 2022 when it was Vince McMahon micro-managing everything.

Have faith in Triple H… AFTER ALL, he made your boy Cody Rhodes look great and STRONGER by the end of the Brock Lesnar feud.

And if Cody Rhodes is AS GOOD as all of you say he truly is, then Cody will get with Seth Rollins to construct a Wrestlemania 40 match that will BLOW THE DOORS off of Rock vs. Roman. Both Seth and Cody should be HIGHLY motivated to put on the best match possible to headline Night #1 of Wrestlemania and to make it not seem like a secondary match. Hopefully, both guys are on the phone right now discussing what they could do with this match.

If Cody wins the World Heavyweight Championship title from Seth at Wrestlemania 40, then he can challenge the winner of Roman Reigns vs. Rock to combine the damn titles. Then, he could either get the win over Roman or he could beat the Rock.

You angry online wrestling fans need to CHILL OUT… Have faith in Triple H‘s booking, but also have faith in the Rock. He said, on Pat McAfee’s show, that he wants something to benefit the entire WWE roster. Rock has a vested interest in the WWE now that he’s a board member and has major incentive as a board member for WWE to grow.

Just trust in Triple H and the Rock to give us one of the biggest Wrestlemanias ever and then giving us many great stories afterward. Hasn’t Triple H done enough to earn your trust for the past year and a half? I think he has…

RELAX, WWE marks… Things will be OK. You’re getting a GREAT Wrestlemania 40. You’ll be fine.

My only worries, which I stated in a column before Wrestlemania 39, is when Cody “finishes his story”, what is there left for him to do? Sure, he can have great matches with others, but what is keeping him popular is the CHASE itself and he’s had a ton of booking dependencies to keep him strong at the top. Big Wrestlemania 38 return, won the 2023 Royal Rumble, beat Brock Lesnar twice, and won the 2024 Royal Rumble. Jesus, isn’t that enough? He had Roman Reigns beat at Wrestlemania 39, too…

That’s my opinion on Cody… He’s good, but I don’t know if he’s top drawing champion great. He had his opportunities in the past with WWE, but nothing was drawing hence the Stardust stuff. He had 3 years in AEW and it wasn’t that impressive. In fact, his time in AEW was actually disappointing and he had the power to make things better.

I’m 100% OK with the Rock, once in a lifetime talent, taking the spot against Roman Reigns. Rock isn’t getting any younger, and Roman Reigns may be seeking things outside of the WWE soon (such as more acting roles).

Cody “story” is what is drawing, not Cody finishing it… Keep the chase alive and I trust Triple H to make the finishing of the story be impressive. The real booking test for Triple H would be to make Cody a strong champion and I’ll be really impressed if Cody pulls that off.

EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK… Plenty of opportunities for Cody to win a World Title in the WWE, as there are 2 belts to win to accomplish that goal (well, 3… I still say Roman is holding 2 of them). Welcome to the Brand Split where anyone can be champion.

The CHASE should be put on the pedestal, not actually winning a “World Title” in the inflated brand split world. Ask if winning the World Title helped Jack Swagger, Miz, Jinder Mahal, and others who weren’t quite ready to be champion (including CM Punk’s first 2 title reigns).

Have faith in Triple H. The guy has done miracle work to rebuild Sami Zayn and LA Knight, while he made Cody’s feud with Brock Lesnar become quite satisfying.

AND TRUST ME, Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson won’t forget this favor that Cody Rhodes just gave him, and neither will Triple H. They’ll make this worth Cody’s while…

Gotta have faith, faith, faith… I trust in Triple H to figure it out, and so should you. This is a DIFFERENT WWE that benefits everyone and doesn’t play petty burying games. Rock and Triple H owe Cody, bigtime for being a team player. Neither man is a compulsive liar like Vince McMahon.

Downvote something all you want, but many of you “wrestling fans” are going to be proven wrong and have egg all over your faces. Cody will be just fine because he’s in a newer WWE environment and now HHH/Rock owe him a big moment.

What Cody did was “best for business”, and with new management in place, that business is going to reward him for his sacrifice. Thank you, Cody.

CLICK HERE for the Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

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It looks like the “Best in the World” needed one last ego trip…

For those who know the type of person he is, to the surprise of no one, C.M. Punk is now back in WWE. Color me one of those “unsurprised” individuals. I’ve been calling for his dismissal from AEW for well over a year prior to his All In fiasco. I’ve long known who Phil Brooks is, and I’m not alone.

If you read any interviews from folks like Eddie Kingston, Colt Cobana, Bobby Fish, Seth Rollins, A.J. Styles, and of course, The Elite — you know how the story of Punk is laced with controversy. “Talented”, yes, but “difficult to work with” is an understatement. Hell, Seth Rollins even called him a cancer.

And they have reason. As history has proven time and time again, Punk is only really looking out for one person. Himself.

There are a history of backstage incidents and sour sentiment involving Punk, from Ring of Honor to WWE, and most recently, AEW. And one can only make an assumption on the source of the issues. Is it everyone else involved? Cobana, Burke, Styles, Rollins, Page, The Bucks, Omega, Perry, etc…

Well, they aren’t the common denominator. C.M. Punk is. What Punk isn’t, however, is the “voice of the voiceless”. He is instead the “epitome of ego”.

Voice of the Voiceless No Longer

Remember the pipebomb promo? That was a cool moment, right?

Punk put on a wonderful front about standing up for wrestling fans who have had their intelligence long insulted. He “stood up” up to the WWE corporatocracy and to Vince McMahon. However, lest we forget, the end of the night, Punk still cashed a hefty WWE paycheck.

At the end of the night, Punk was paid well to play the victim. And this is what Phil Brooks does best.

He plays the victim card.

First of all, anyone who bangs their fist on the table to loudly proclaim that they’re straight edge is probably the biggest prick in the room, but I digress.

Punk was given a reign as WWE Champion that lasted over 400 days. He was pushed on video game covers and PPV posters. He had main event programs with The Undertaker, Jeff Hardy, and Triple H.

It still wasn’t enough. So why did we think AEW would be any different?

A man can change, right? That is until he didn’t, and decided to throw an entire company under the bus on a live media scrum. A man can be given a second chance and change, right? That is until he didn’t, and threatened his own boss with violence because of heat with another wrestler.

Beyond at all that, though. Punk is a giant hypocrite — kind of like Cody Rhodes (we’ll get to him).

The “C” in C.M. Stands for Corporate

What I find amusing is how little Punk actually cares about his own personal social beliefs. Remember this now deleted tweet made towards The Miz in 2020?

“Go suck a blood money covered dick in Saudi Arabia you f*cking dork”

Right, Punk has integrity! He would never want anything to do with a company that runs shows funded by a government with hundreds of human rights violations, right?

He would never take Saudi Arabian blood money — except that he is.

Punk would never take money from a company built by a man who openly supported Donald Trump; who actively tried suppressing Trans rights — except that he is. 

He wouldn’t want anything to do with a company in WWE that is so fervently anti-union, right? Except that he is.

Phil cares so much about women’s rights as well, correct? It’s convenient that he seemed to forget that Nick Khan himself donates money to the Republican Party. In fact, most higher-ups in WWE regularly donate to Republican causes — the party who is actively anti-woman when it comes to reproductive rights.

But don’t let that get in the way of your spitefulness towards Tony Khan, eh?

For this is what it’s truly about for Mr. Brooks: His own ego. It is more important for Brooks to sacrifice his own personal beliefs and integrity simply to stick it to his old boss; and for a fat paycheck as icing on the cake.

Phil Brooks can’t stand for anything when he’s too busy on his knees selling out.

Punk truly doesn’t care about women’s or trans rights. He doesn’t care about strengthening unions, or creating better working conditions for pro wrestlers. Punk certainly doesn’t care about human rights violations in one of WWE’s biggest sponsors.

He only really cares about himself. Speaking of which…

The Codyverse is Not Immune To Ego

To a lesser extent, Cody Rhodes and C.M. Punk are different shades of the same coin. The difference here is that I actually like Cody Rhodes. But I have to call it as I see it. This is a man who promised a “revolution” and to listen to fans.

He took the sledgehammer and “crushed” the throne of Triple H at the inaugural Double or Nothing. He was one of the leaders of this new wrestling promotion that could actually compete with the corporate monster that is WWE. Rhodes consistently spoke of anti-monopoly resentment. He bashed the antiquated ways in which WWE had been operating for decades to put over a new breed of pro wrestling in AEW.

But I don’t believe he ever thought it would take off. 

I’m speculating, and I could be wrong, but it is my belief that Cody never truly thought AEW would succeed. He looked at Tony Khan, an inexperienced wrestling promotor, teamed up with a group of talents known more for their work in Japan than the U.S. He looked at Chris Jericho, who was on the tail end of his career, and while Jon Moxley is a nice touch, he’s not a needle-mover on his own.

Deep down, I believe Cody never expected much out of AEW in terms of success.

So he booked himself into a corner where he could “never” compete for a world title in AEW. And when talent far greater than him started to roll into AEW (Danielson, Cole, Black, etc.), and talent far greater than him started to become more popular than him (Page, Omega, Cassidy, etc.), he had a serious talk with his own ego.

Cody became a parody of himself in AEW, and in some ways, largely swung and missed with the AEW fans. His contract with the company was soon up. And then Mr. Levesque called…

Why stay in AEW as a mid-carder when he could get paid more to be the #2 in the largest known wrestling promotion in the world? 

Screw the revolution, right?

Like Punk, Rhodes sacrificed any integrity he had to placate his own ego. He took the easy way out. And so did Punk.

Everyone is Taking AEW For Granted

Punk and Rhodes as well…

Aside from being a clear alternative to WWE’s PG style, let’s be brutally honest. At the least, AEW is another place for pro wrestlers to make a living. Even if you don’t like the product, at the very absolute least, it’s somewhere else wrestlers can make a good living at their craft. Actively cheering on their demise is something a low-IQ, basement dwelling incel would do.

Finding any way to throw shade at them simply out of dislike is quite the childish feat.

AEW is the NWA/New Japan/PWG hybrid. You’re going to get Strong Style, Lucha Libre, Hardcore, and Old-School styles of wrestling all on one show. You’re going to get sports-influenced tournaments, “indyriffic” spots, “blood & guts”, and a little “sports entertainment” in one weekly broadcast.

There is something for everyone in AEW. It’s a “buffet” of wrestling as opposed to the usual WWE menu of one plate. You’ll never get anything in AEW close to what you see in WWE on a weekly basis aside from the occasional “sports entertainment” in a few segments.

And if you’re a WWE fan, and you prefer that style of presentation and family-friendly, formulaic wrestling, great! Different strokes…But it’s funny how many pro-WWE/anti-AEW “fans” continue to bash AEW for the very thing that makes it different in the first place.

Did You Actually Want An Alternative?

Look, nothing is perfect, AEW included. But how many years did internet fans clamor for an alternative? How many years did many of us complain about WWE’s poor quality? Above all, many fans just wanted something different.

Oh, but not like THAT, right?

WWE — Story-Focused | Formulaic | Sanitized | Kid-Friendly | PG | Hero-Booking
AEW — Wrestling-Focused | Different wrestling styles | Violent | Adult-Geared | TV-14 | Strong Style Booking

Stop trying to put AEW into a box in which they simply do not fit in. They have their own style. Love it or leave it; but don’t trash it.

This is All Elite Wrestling. Comprised of what can easily be argued as the most talented roster in the world, possibly even in wrestling history. And if it were to ever fold, remember, we’re back to one less place to work for over one hundred wrestlers. We’re back to the monopoly-influenced environment that bred AEW in the first place.

You don’t have to like AEW. But taking the easy way out like Punk and Rhodes to dismiss the #2 brand simply because it’s the cool thing to do is a low-effort attitude. And so many gullible fans are jumping on this bandwagon right now.

Did You Forget AEW Is An Alternative?

If you are familiar with my past work, in good faith, then you know I am no stranger to criticizing AEW. From past inconsistent booking, to a lackadaisical approach towards women’s wrestling (which has admittedly improved in 2023), and the sometimes PR nightmare that is Tony Khan himself.

However, I tend to defend this promotion on good faith, as much as I possibly can. But mixed responses to the Hangman/Swerve match have brought me full circle with my general approach to the AEW product. And it’s why I’m leaning in to support this company more than ever at this point.

As for the Swerve Strickland vs. “Vampire” Adam Page 5-STAR match. Grow up, get over it, or go back to your kid-friendly WWE product. When did wrestling fans become so weak? We saw worse stuff during the ECW/Attitude Era.

Blood and Guts in pro wrestling has been around for decades. Go back and rewatch the Greg Valentine/Roddy Piper dog collar match from 1983 and note the screaming happy children in the crowd. They certainly didn’t need protection from all the blood being shed.

Dusty Rhodes, Bruiser Brody, Abdullah the Butcher, The Valiant Brothers, The Sheik, Jerry Graham — the list goes on of old school bleeders from the 60s and 70s that make Full Gear‘s Texas Deathmatch match look like child’s play.

AEW is an alternative. (See prior section)

But I don’t think many internet fans actually want that. Many would rather have a product where they can have the perception of active participation/input, as if their opinion matters. For many WWE fans, or casual fans, what it means to be a true alternative is mostly lost on them.

Alternative usually means counter-culture — even if just in spirit. You’re either with that — or you’re not.

Going Home. For good.

I know what the sentiment will be with a piece like this. The “butthurt” AEW fan mad at Rhodes and Punk for leaving. So I’ll cheer on AEW and simp out for their product in retaliation.

…I honestly don’t care what anyone thinks. I was never a huge Punk fan and knew of his past issues — and I was never really into Cody Rhodes as well. I have nothing to prove to literally anyone.

Punk appearing at Survivor Series was a shot fired at AEW, however. Cody Rhodes “the EVP in me” joke at the Survivor Series press conference was another shot fired as well.  I can recognize that the optics aren’t great for AEW. Two major stars leave, and when you loop Cargill into that, it’s as if talent is running away from AEW — which isn’t the case at all.

What we have is two major stars that couldn’t set aside their own egos for the sake of pro wrestling.

And with that, a bigger issue — that of wrestling fans that can’t set aside their own egos to simply enjoy both promotions in good faith; or at the least, enjoy one without bashing the other. I’ve been guilty of this myself at times.

AEW is an easy target when the shots are fired from the #1 promotion and their fans — and especially those who write bad faith articles and social media posts in doing so. These people contribute nothing of value to the wrestling industry, and in all honesty, hurt it greatly.

Look, I am hopeful for AEW’s future. I believe a new TV deal is coming, and that between MJF, Ospreay, Cole, The Elite, etc. — that AEW will be just fine without Punk (they have been if you haven’t noticed), and they’ve been fine without Cody.

However…

The Monopoly Will Return One Day Unless…

Whether it’s in a few years, or even 5-6 years, I get the sinking feeling that AEW won’t be around forever. Part of that is likely due to too much time on social media, but part of that is wrestling history.

The longest modern competitor to WWE was WCW from (roughly) 1995-2001. That’s only 6 years. AEW is already well past half of that number. But if it were to ever fold; for any reason, we’re going to be back in the wrestling dark ages.

And then fans will complain…again…but probably about WWE.

Personal note: And I can’t do that anymore. I’m attending this week’s Dynamite. My second wrestling show of the year (the first being Stardom). It was incredible to attend Stardom knowing that I could just take it at face value and nothing else. I don’t have to worry about what the internet is thinking or if I should write a column about it.

I have a good life; a great partner, and a solid career. I simply want to do more; be it write novels, travel, etc…and man, does being an online wrestling fan drag me down.

So I’m removing myself. I get to experience wrestling like a “casual”. Even my Disqus account will be deleted by Wednesday morning. And to be honest — I think many online wresting fans would benefit from doing the same. Snarky anti-AEW or anti-WWE comments doesn’t actually help pro wrestling — especially when nobody is really having any real conversations anymore (myself included sometimes).

What will help is attending shows, buying merch, staying positive (critique in good faith), and tuning in. It’s as simple as that.

So in wrestling nerd-like fashion I end with my favorite wrestler’s farewell:

I must bid you adieu, so goodbye everyone, *mwah* and goodnight. Bang!

-T5W
t5wrestling@yahoo.com

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