Look at this WCW card… It’s seriously stacked:

Chris Jericho vs. Raven
Wrath vs. Meng
Disco Inferno vs. Juventud Guerrera
Alex Wright vs. Fit Finlay
Saturn vs. Lodi
Billy Kidman vs. Disco Inferno
Scott Steiner and The Giant vs. Rick Steiner and Buff Bagwell
Rick Steiner vs. Scott Steiner
Scott Hall vs. Kevin Nash
Bret Hart vs. Sting
Hollywood Hogan vs. The Warrior
Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page

Look at those LAST 4 matches…

The Outsiders, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall, going head to head. Just 2 years ago, they formed the NWO and made WCW become the #1 company.

Bret Hart vs. Sting would have been a DREAM MATCH the year before, yet it’s freakin’ third from the top on this card. By October 1998, both the Bret Hart and Sting brands diminished and it’s no secret that what happened at Starrcade 1997 caused that.

And then you have the Wrestlemania 6 rematch between ”Hollywood” Hulk Hogan and Warrior, which should have had more hype but Warrior’s first promo on WCW Nitro instantly killed any interest in that match. Great to have Warrior back, but he rambled for like 15-20 minutes of total nonsense. Oh, and this match totally sucked and exposed the fact that Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan actually rehearsed their match in 1990 for months.

The main event was Bill Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page, a match which most didn’t get to see on Pay Per View because Halloween Havoc 1998 ran too long and went beyond the cable company’s Pay Per View fixed timeframe. On Nitro the following match, WCW actually gave this match away for FREE because of this error.

A show with those 4 matches shouldn’t suck, but it did… Goes to show you that even with some all-time great talent, if you’re creative sucks OR if you let the talent control everything, your company will have issues.

Sad part for me, though, is that 28 years later, several wrestlers are no longer with us. Scott Hall, Ultimate Warrior, and Hulk Hogan are each gone and all 3 guys were major stars for this business. Then, you look at Bret Hart. He was struggling in WCW, but in just over 1 year, his career would be over following Starrcade 1999 and continuing to wrestle for weeks after sustaining a concussion.

DDP, in just a few years, would have a disappointing WWE run but then he’d become wrestling’s angel by helping guys like Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Scott Hall, Buff Bagwell, and many others recover from addictions that ailed them to continue performing, showing up for fans, or being available for their families. I personally thought that Kevin Nash, Sting, and Bill Goldberg did well deep into their careers and Sting/Goldberg had nice retirement endings.

As you look back at WCW during 1998, what was happening? What caused this promotion to literally die in less than 3 years after this show?

(1) Eric Bischoff

Eric was like that NFL general manager who burned up his salary cap and made massive trades to WIN NOW even if it meant years of “salary cap hell” in the long-run. He leaned on veterans like Hogan, Macho Man, Hall, and Nash to put more eyeballs on the product but in just 2 years, WCW began to fall apart. However, Bischoff expanded production and signed many wrestlers to long-term guaranteed contracts that it screwed WCW financially for years.

Worse for Bischoff, he became a MARK after he turned heel and joined the NWO during November 1996. Eric, with time, began to care too much about what his on-air character was doing versus actually managing the WCW company. Because he was a member of the NWO and there was no turning back, he did things to purposely keep the NWO and notably, keep Hulk Hogan strong. See Starrcade 1997 and the first Nitro of 1999. Further, Eric was hanging out with the boys as he was now performer just like them rather than being their manager. He got bored with the management side and do stupid things like placing Kevin Nash as lead booker during late 1998.

(2) Time Warner, then AOL/Time Warner

Ted Turner merged his properties with Time Warner and through early 1998, they saw the profits that WCW was making and seized upon it. They came up with this idea that they could make even MORE money if Time Warner executives could convince WCW to become more family friendly. WCW lost its edge during 1998 just as WWE was gaining theirs with hungry male audiences. Then, the became much worse once the AOL Ponzi scheme merger happened.

You know, it makes me wonder… Are there any wrestling promotions who are becoming increasingly corporate?

Oh yeah, WWE under TKO’s ownership, who is owned by Endeavor which is owned by Silver Lake. Many shareholders and now executives making $20 million to $70 million each year are now telling Triple H and his entire creative staff what to do and who to push. From Chief Operating Officer of TKO Mark Shapiro’s own lips: “TKO has complete creative control and responsibility over the WWE”.

Wrestling historians will look back at Wrestlemania 39, back during 2023, as the PEAK of the WWE’s 2020s boom period. As many promoters have often said, if you have a great year, you have at least 1 good year following that riding on its fumes. I know that Eric Bischoff, himself, buys into this principle as WCW had great 1996 and 1997 years, but what followed was 1998 and 1999 with 1999 seeing him exit the company due to declining performance. WWE got by for 1 year, following Wrestlemania 39, and then juiced some excitement with Wrestlemania 40 by having the Rock come back. What has happened since? Rest of 2024 sucked, 2025 suckiness was masked by John Cena’s retirement tour, and 2026 has mostly been a letdown with the Bloodline retread and nobody new blossoming as the next generation of top superstars.

And in return, just as Time Warner began meddling through early 1998, TKO’s meddling has impacted WWE’s creative and has caused nothing but price gouging on all products and services. Ticket prices to attend WWE events are WAY UP. TKO lets Fanatics price gouge WWE on merchandise. Instead of watching RAW and Smackdown on either the Cable/Satellite that you’re already paying for or broadcast television, you now have to watch RAW behind the Netflix payway. We had it SO GOOD with the original WWE Network at $9.99 and then had it reasonably good with Peacock with reasonable pricing plans ranging from $5 to $15. Now, they screw you with a $30 price tag with ESPN+. Disney carries over $46 billion in debt, folks. Yeah, that ESPN+ price is going to skyrocket, soon.

Then, you have All Elite Wrestling (AEW)…

I’m totally LAUGHING right now at how AEW fans are actually complaining after Will Ospreay became AEW Champion. For a few years now, each of you were eating Dave Meltzer’s table scraps and believing Ospreay was “the guy” for AEW. Those 5, 6, or 7 star matches, his connections to New Japan Pro Wrestling, and getting to work matches with the SAME people he worked with in New Japan… And yet here you are, complaining about either his opponents, the creative he’s received, or attention he should be seeing as AEW Champ.

Or maybe, just maybe… Will Ospreay was a better title chaser than a title carrier.

To be a main eventer for a wrestling promotion, you MUST be “larger than life”. That’s a fact. Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, and now Roman Reigns. Any doubt about those guys? Never has been… You knew that during their prime years, those guys could pack arenas and put eyeballs on any television screen. Why? Because they were characters that you didn’t see in regular life that fascinated you and were people that you wish that you knew.

I look at Will Ospreay and WWE’s Sami Zayn as World Champions right now of their companies. They look like regular guys to me that I could meet around town or know. Now, I’m not here to bash their in-ring abilities… NOT WHAT I’M SAYING… It’s that magnetic energy from things that you cannot teach, such as look, acting abilities, speaking ability, charisma, and confidence that both men are lacking or only have a slight percentage of these. For me, the confidence is a huge factor. When you’re World Champion, ACT LIKE IT. Be like a damn peacock and show those feathers! Be that alpha male that looks down the entire roster and DARES anyone to challenge him, but when they do, the probability isn’t there for them to lose the title.

If you ever listen to people making predictions, they always say “never bet against Cena” or “never bet against Roman”. It’s not just that they are favored by Creative, but that both men carry themselves as unstoppable forces. And in all honesty with Roman Reigns, he didn’t have this before 2020. Then, he gained more experience and listened to experienced minds, and boom, Roman drew incredible numbers from 2021-2023 and is directly attributed, and rightly so, for WWE’s boom period through Wrestlemania 39 as I cited above.

You want to know why you’re REALLY frustrated with Will Ospreay’s AEW Title run so far? Because there is DOUBT… You don’t believe in him. Unfortunately, you bought into the 5, 6, 7 star hype of Dave Meltzer and his minions about what a “great worker” Ospreay was and why AEW should push him to the moon. Great story, bro, as the creative allowed Ospreay to beat everybody in the company on the way up to the top. Well, who is to wrestle afterward?

Let’s go back to that 1998 year… At Wrestlemania 14, Steve Austin vanquished Shawn Michaels to win the WWE Title. After that show, who was Austin’s next Pay Per View opponent?

Mick Foley.

Now, I love Foley, but this was Foley through the Spring of 1998 and he was just disposed of by the New Age Outlaws through Wrestlemania 14 along with his buddy Chainsaw Charlie. Total midcarder at best at this point… So why would he become Austin’s opponent immediately after becoming WWE Champion?

BECAUSE IT DIDN’T MATTER WHO AUSTIN’S OPPONENTS WERE!

Austin as WWE Champion = GREATNESS

Because Austin was so confident as WWE Champion that he could MAKE HIS OPPONENT SEEM GREAT!!!!!!!!!

Austin carried himself incredibly well as WWE Champion, as he was fully confident and had a big swagger to him. Austin drew major money with any of the goons that the Corporation fed him. And that includes The Rock. Folks, Rock was still very green through 1997-1998… Yet, he had a highly confident top star who believed in him and worked with him to make the fans believe that he was an experienced performer. Austin turned this young kid in to a mega superstar and these guys would go on to wrestle 3 times at Wrestlemania, twice as headliners.

THAT is a superstar and real drawing champion.

I look at Ospreay and I don’t see that confidence. I look at Zayn and I believe that 10-15 wrestlers could easily defeat him in a straight-up one-on-one match-up. Hell, I once saw Johnny Knoxville and his Jackass buddies dispatch of Zayn on Wrestlemania 38.

I just LAUGH at the AEW fans immediately losing confidence in Will Ospreay, just as I LAUGH at the stuttering WWE fans who are trying to suggest who should be the next WWE World Champion or main eventer.

NONE OF YOU have a F’N clue on how to assess the next big wrestler, and that’s why AEW or WWE aren’t banging on your door to employ you.

And I’m sure many of you will reply “what about you? Why doesn’t the WWE or AEW want you?”. Because I don’t want it… I’m not the one proclaiming that I’m such an expert that I can be the next kingmaker for either company. I just study what has happened previously in the wrestling business, thanks to 28 years now as an online columnist or almost 40 years as a fan, and just give my opinion of what could or won’t happen. I’m a big believer in George Santayana’s quote of “those who do not remember history are condemned to repeat it”, and I’ve seen Zayn and Ospreay’s stories before in other wrestlers. WWE has tried to make many midcarders become champions, like the Miz, Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Jinder Mahal, Damian Priest, and others and thus, the roadmap is there for (a) wrestlers who shouldn’t be world champion, (b) wrestlers who were just chasers, or (c) wrestlers pumped up by groups of fans, as Jey Uso and Daniel Bryan fit that mold.

To see all of you arguing online, non-stop, is disgusting. BEST move that I ever did was to go private on X/Twitter. Complete waste of time yelling at people with your thumbs or your fingers.

And then you have complete jokes like Dave Meltzer getting into fights, all day, on social media. What are you doing, Dave? You used to be the most respected news and from that, we all respected your opinion. Yeah, we knew about your New Japan love, but we accepted that because you brought us the news. Now, however, because you’re so infatuated with AEW thanks to that promotion listening to you and employing all of your California Indy and New Japan buddies, you’re impaired. That includes your match rating system, but also your refusal to break any AEW stories. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp is LAUGHING at how Meltzer gave him the “top news anchor” mantle simply by Dave morphing into a complete jerk.

Facts are facts about Meltzer… From 1998 to 2010, Dave awarded NO 5-star matches to the WWE. That is a complete indictment on Dave’s anti-WWE bias. Forget not awarding anything to Kurt Angle, why not look at everything else he refused to give 5-stars that involved Rock, Austin, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Undertaker, and many others who packed WWE shows with great matches, especially between 2000 and 2005 when the WWE roster was loaded with incredible workers. Meltzer is the same guy who during the late 1990s, he was whining about WCW and WWE booming during the Monday Night Wars because he has always hated WWE’s style and he was mad at Bischoff for raiding his favorite Mexico or Japan promotions. The NWO storyline was amazing, but Dave hated it and took shots at WCW any time he could because it wasn’t “perfection” like New Japan.

Meltzer aside, all wrestling fans have become difficult. All they do is waste time, ALL DAY LONG, complaining about wrestling YET they keep watching it. “RAW sucks”, so why are you spending 2-3 hours watching it every Monday? It’s a damn infomercial for PLEs, anyway, so why are you watching? Go out on Friday nights instead of watching the Smackdown PLE infomercial for 2-3 hours. If AEW saves its best for Pay Per Views, then save time by skipping their own versions of infomercials on Wednesdays and Saturdays and just watch the PPVs. Time is so precious, yet many of you waste it watching wrestling television shows that you claim to hate and then complain about it ALL DAY LONG on your social media account or when you appear on YouTube shows.

Further in this online battles for “wrestling opinion” supremacy, how on earth could ANY wrestling fan have an ego? Seriously, you’re spending your own personal time to (a) watch all of these shows and then (b) spend even more hours illustrating your opinions about the shows you just watch. For many online, they develop their own little character who represents their opinion and they cannot have their precious little ego devalued in any way, shape, or form. WHO CARES! It’s damn fictional performances on-screen. This is literally the same whining we see about people complaining about movies, especially Star Wars, Marvel, or DC.

I’m going to take the Larry David response to all of you egomaniacs who think that your opinions are better than others… ”Why don’t you invent something better?”

If you have such great ideas about wrestling, why don’t YOU start your own promotion and CONVINCE adult wrestlers to go along with your brilliant ideas? Let’s see how well that goes…

Apply to AEW, for a job, if you believe that YOU could book Will Ospreay better as champion. All you have to do is acknowledge that Tony Khan, the Young Bucks, and Dave Meltzer are “brilliant” and you’ve got the job!

As I look back at that Halloween Havoc 1998 card, it’s top to bottom with WELL TRAINED wrestlers with the exception of Bill Goldberg BUT a well trained wrestler in DDP walked him through the match to make it appear sensational. You don’t have that today… Wrestlers, these days, are self-trained going from the backyard to an unsanctioned independent promotion. That, or they’ll go to the WWE’s developmental system which trains you to be a character versus teaching you how to actually work any type of match. Matt Bloom is a TERRIBLE trainer for the WWE, and naturally gifted Shawn Michaels doesn’t know how to teach younger wrestlers why he was so great. Contrast that with OVW and FCW who had excellent teachers and their students are still carrying WWE’s water to this day. They can work any style at any time. Today’s WWE wants look and then we’ll train you for what creative specifically wants, not what could be sold to creative to be great.

If the training of younger wrestlers was so great, then we wouldn’t need so many tables, ladders, or outside brawling in all of these matches. I always like Kevin Nash’s criticism of ECW from a few years ago, in that he said “if I hit you with a weapon, you’re not getting up!”. Bingo. Same can be applied that if I slammed you through a table, there’s no way you should finish a match. All of these 5, 6, 7 star matches that goofball Meltzer rates are full of high risk moves, table spots, weapons, or other things and hitting a million moves per minute that forces wrestlers to SELL NOTHING. Sure, today’s wrestling is more action packed than the past because the older guys actually sold moves like they were in a real fight. One of the Younger Bucks completely no-sells a Canadian Destroyer like nothing happened to him. Shawn Michaels finished you off with a superkick, but now everybody does that as a regular move and everybody instantly gets up from it.

Go ahead and call me “old man yelling at clouds”, but you’re the one burning through more of your personal time to watch today’s product and then obsessing about it online all day, not me. After having ESPN+ to watch the National Championship in NCAA for January, which allowed me to watch the Rumble, I’ve never looked back. ESPN isn’t going to price gouge me monthly. After AEW ditched CM Punk, they stopped receiving my Pay Per View dollars and I’ve never looked back. Just a waste of time because what you’re seeing isn’t actually professional wrestling. It’s corporate wrestling full of celebrity cameos for WWE, while AEW is just a demonstration of pro wrestling moves without the need for psychology.

Despite all of that, I’ve brought quality columns to the scene heading into my 28th year as Mr. Tito. Way back in September, I was the FIRST one to call out WWE for continuing to have WWE Crown Jewel 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia despite the Houthis attacking Saudi Arabia that month. When they attacked the East/West pipeline, I knew that trouble was coming especially with WWE being an American product. Then in early October, the Riyadh Airport was bombed. Took TKO and Saudi Arabia WEEKS to figure out that maybe having an OUTSIDE event wasn’t a great idea… But are we really safe by moving the event indoors? WWE wrestlers and personnel are still flying in, and Crown Jewel will still be a mass gathering of fans.

Some of you goofs on social media tried to call me out for having this opinion, calling me names or making baseless allegations. The usual chickensh*t cop-out when you read an opinion that has you disagreeing. However, you don’t live in the real world where actual WAR is happening and there’s a proxy group of Iran wanting to disrupt things in an American ally country.

For all of you online marks aka jerks reading this… You cannot bash TKO’s greed on one hand, but then defend them keeping an event in Saudi Arabia. Utter hypocrisy.

Part of the reason why we’re in a 2-decade FUNK for pro wrestling is that yes, pro wrestling promotions are poorly managed… BUT, they also have to understand a fanbase who has NO IDEA what they truly want. “Push this guy, push that guy”… “This wrestler really needs this win!” “Creative is terrible!” “This guy is a favorite of management’s and they are shoving him down our throats!”.

Meanwhile, WWE reviews analytics of merchandise sales and social media engagement on a daily basis and sees that all of their numbers are up. That’s right, despite all of your complaints and negativity, you won’t go away. In fact, you’ll spend MORE MONEY on WWE products than ever before. The average amount of $$ per WWE fan has NEVER been higher, as the extremely loyal fanbase keeps feeding the WWE and TKO machine that they CLAIM to hate with more TIME and MONEY.

In my 28 years of pro wrestling, I can conclude that wrestling has significantly deteriorated… We had a brief glimpse of improving times when AEW arrived and kicked the WWE in the arse to awaken again through the early 2020s… But then WWE fell asleep at the wheel again with drunken (with power) TKO executives steering the company off a cliff. Meanwhile, Tony Khan is a dictator of an island of misfit toys. But damn, the fans are more difficult than ever and may have fed into the social media algorithm more than anybody on the planet.

The beauty is that I don’t have to watch this stuff, nor do I have to write about it. I do what I want, when I want and always have as Mr. Tito and as a wrestling fan. Nobody tells me what to watch or write, and I watch or write about whatever I want.

The harder fact is that I forget more about pro wrestling than most of online marks will ever know about pro wrestling.

None of you have the balls to hold these wrestling promotions accountable. You keep watching more hours of their awful content, buy more of their overpriced merchandise, and let them price gouge you without flinching.

Only thing that has kept me around as Mr. Tito is my longtime readers, who I appreciate 100%. That’s the “fix” that keeps me coming back, even when I’m totally bored with pro wrestling.

Peace out, my longtime friends. Thanks for always having my back and supporting whatever I post. In every column that I have written for you, I gave everything that I had and didn’t care about the repercussions. Further, I looked at things analytically versus being a doofus online wrestling mark for a wrestler or for a promotion.

How was that? Was that a 5-star column to cap off the 28th year anniversary as Mr. Tito? Hope that you liked those apples, because wrestling sucks right now.

We had it GOOD during October 1998… I’ll take declining WCW that was recycling the NWO storyline over WWE today recycling the Bloodline storyline. And way better than AEW, for sure.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post Mr. Tito’s 28th Anniversary Celebration Column – Pro Wrestling (WWE & AEW) is Awful Right Now! appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

We see the same thing every match. Two Counts. Every cover. For the entirety of the match. Until the end of the match. Every match on the show. Every show of the year.

The endless parade of identical two-counts from the opening minutes until the finish is a mechanical, predictable habit of modern wrestling. It flattens the drama. When every cover looks and feels the same until the last one, the audience learns to treat the first eight or nine as filler. This undercuts the very thing pinfalls are supposed to do: measure how close someone is to losing and how much the match has escalated.

Think about a match like Jazz (Not the HOF wrestler, but the music). If a modern match were music it would sound like this: 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3. Flat! A structure like 1-1-2-2-2-1-2-3 (or whatever fits the story) adds variation and gives the counts themselves renewed meaning. Two counts are so predictable, so boring, that fans have brought large white signs that say ‘2’ for decades because the trope has entirely worn itself out. The audience knows. It’s time to do something about it.

Early one-counts sell that both guys are still primed, resilient, and a long way from being finished. Reaching two says, “The Match Is Getting Into Deeper Water.” A late one-count on a finisher or a big move becomes a legitimate shock instead of just another near-fall that everyone expects to fail. AEW All In’s use of the one-count worked because it broke the pattern and the crowd reacted like something unexpected had happened. But those examples still relied on the same basic premise: a one-count kickout after a finisher. That’s not the only way to use the device.

A one-count can communicate several things. Here are three ways a one-count can tell a story.
1.) The wrestler is fresh and hasn’t been significantly damaged.
2.) The wrestler covering is desperate and attempting to steal an unexpected victory.
3.) The move was insufficient to create a serious threat. Seriously, how many times have you cringed after seeing a two-count after a botch? A one-count helps sell the inevitable announcer cover-up, “They didn’t get all of it.” Well, if they didn’t get all of it, why are they still getting the same two-count they got on the previous attempt when they DID get all of it? Hell, if you’re a performer, and you know a move is botched, kick out at zero! Don’t make the audience swallow horse shit and expect them to like it!

Wrestlers are durable. The average WWE wrestler takes 10-15 bumps on TV per match, and up to 25 on PPV. The average AEW wrestler takes 15-25 bumps on TV per match, and up to 50 (!) on PPV. Modern performers absorb A LOT. The audience knows this. Their endurance is foundational to why we love them. But when every match on the show defaults to the same two-count rhythm, the device loses power.

I would be remiss if I did not address the logic that a wrestler uses an extra second or two to remain pinned and “rest” before kicking out. I was an amateur wrestler in high school. I was pinned fifty percent of the time. Even when I was battered and exhausted, I never evvvvvvver used one or two seconds to ‘rest.’ I was squirming and writhing to escape. William Regal, wrestling savant that he is, inspired this column when he advised talent to cover, and kick out, like their careers depend on it.

In summary, I don’t need to eliminate two-counts. I need them to mean something again. If every near-fall looks the same, none of them feel special. Making the first serious cover a one-count more often, and treating the climb to two as an actual escalation, is a low-cost way to make matches feel less automated and more like a fight that is actually progressing. More of that, please.

The post The Case for More One-Counts in Wrestling appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

I rolled out of bed this morning, glanced at the clock, and got a little more excited when I realized my favorite holiday was just two days away.

Then I remembered that tonight is my youngest daughter’s first school dance.

Naturally, I packed a double-barrel pipe. Some mornings require a little extra processing power.

Once the smoke cleared, somewhere in the middle of listening to Welcome to Night Vale, the Weed Gods handed me an idea for this column.

Or I got high and started thinking about wrestling fans again.

Either way, here we are.

Everyone is writing about Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, wondering whether it should be moved because of the ongoing conflict in Iran. I’m not here to add another vote. People have written about it, talked about it, debated it. I’m not sure I have anything new to contribute to that particular discussion.

What interests me more is what happens underneath it.

The comments here. The replies on X and Threads. Wherever wrestling fans gather to discuss something until everyone involved wishes they hadn’t.

Because those conversations don’t just tell us what people think about a wrestling show. Sometimes they tell us how people see the rest of the world—and how little room they’ve left for anyone else’s view.

That’s where I want to go with this.

Bear with me. The pipe had two barrels, but I promise there’s a destination.

As American fans, I think we sometimes struggle to see beyond our own borders. We grow up hearing about freedom, capitalism, democracy. We’re told we live in the greatest country in the world. Hear that enough and it can stop sounding like an opinion.

It becomes the starting point for how we judge everyone else.

But how often do we consider how everyone else sees us?

Belgium. Denmark. Finland. France. Germany. Ireland. The Netherlands. Portugal. The United Kingdom. Canada. China. Australia. New Zealand.

These countries have published travel advice or warnings for people visiting the United States. Those notices vary, and a travel advisory doesn’t automatically mean “don’t go.” But concerns raised across them include gun violence, treatment of transgender travelers, border searches, and possible detention.

Not exactly the tourism brochure we’d write for ourselves.

We know this country through our everyday lives. Someone considering a visit might know it through headlines, warnings, and whatever story most recently made its way across their screen.

Those are different pictures.

That doesn’t make criticism of Saudi Arabia wrong. It doesn’t make the countries interchangeable, and it certainly doesn’t answer whether a show should take place during a conflict.

“America has problems, too” isn’t a safety plan.

But it should give us a reason to examine how we arrive at our opinions.

Are we talking about a specific danger? A government’s actions? The people who live there? Or have we thrown all of those things into one pile because the place feels foreign to us?

When something frightening happens here, do we see it as something that happened within a country we understand? When it happens somewhere else, does it become our entire understanding of that country?

I’m not asking whether every place is equally safe.

I’m asking whether we’re equally willing to look closely.

Now, this is where I go a little hippie-stoner-spiritualist. You were warned in the opening paragraph.

I think wrestling’s globalization can mean more than another market, another stadium, and another announcement about how much money somebody made.

Of course it’s about money. I’m not under the impression that these companies are booking international shows because someone in the office wanted globalization.

But the reason a company puts on a show doesn’t have to define everything that show means to the people watching it.

For the company, it’s business. For someone in the building, it might be their first chance to see a wrestler they’ve followed for years. Someone whose matches they’ve stayed up to watch, whose shirt they wear, whose entrance music makes them act like an idiot.

You know. Like us.

That’s the part I don’t want lost in the conversation.

We can question a government’s actions without treating everyone living under that government as its representative. We can question a wrestling company’s business arrangements without dismissing the fans who finally get a show.

We can care about the people in the seats and still question the people making the deal.

Those things don’t cancel each other out.

If wrestling is going to become more global, I’d like us to get something out of it beyond learning which stadium can fit the most people. A little curiosity would be nice. An interest in the people watching the same ridiculous thing we love, from a place we might know very little about.

Not because wrestling is going to fix the world. 

But it can give us a reason to look beyond ourselves.

And apparently, we could use the practice.

I’ll be the first person to admit that I don’t like AEW.

That tells you what I enjoy watching. It doesn’t establish what you’re allowed to enjoy watching.

Your love of AEW doesn’t make my night worse. My preference for WWE shouldn’t ruin yours. Neither of us needs to stand outside the other’s television with a clipboard explaining why they’re having fun incorrectly.

Yet we’ve built this ridiculous fan war around the idea that someone enjoying a different wrestling show is somehow an attack on us.

We turn a preference into an identity, then spend our free time defending it from people who weren’t doing anything to us in the first place.

I can tell you why AEW doesn’t work for me without insisting that it shouldn’t work for you. There’s a difference between having an opinion and needing everyone else to live inside it.

Obviously, arguing about a wrestling promotion isn’t comparable in seriousness to discussing war, human rights, or whether people can safely attend an event. I’m talking about the habit underneath the argument: assuming that what we see from where we’re standing must be the whole picture.

It isn’t.

Ask questions about Crown Jewel. Question where companies go, whose money they take, and whether the people involved will be safe. None of this requires giving anyone a pass.

Just leave room for the fans, too.

The person finally seeing their favorite wrestler. The parent taking their kid. The crowd getting a night they’ve been waiting years to experience.

We understand why that matters when it’s us. I’d like us to remember it when it’s somebody else.

Maybe that’s all I’m getting at. We don’t have to agree on every country, every company, or every wrestling show. We could just be a little more curious about one another and a little less convinced that the world revolves around whatever’s playing in our living room.

Anyway, I’ve got a daughter getting ready for her first dance, which means I have my own changing world to come to terms with.

The Weed Gods gave me a column. Apparently, they don’t handle that part.

One crisis at a time.

Until the next smoke break, be excellent to one another.

Follow me on X: @thatdonniesb

The post Smoke Break Psychology: The World Doesn’t Revolve Around Your Living Room appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Meanwhile in greedy TKO land, CEO Ari Emanuel stated on 10/23: ”Right now, everything is still set (for WWE Crown Jewel). This weekend coming up in Abu Dhabi, we have a UFC fight. We have, in the middle of November, a Frieze art show. So, so far, so good — nothing’s been cancelled. We have a whole team kind of working on this, and kind of when and if that doesn’t happen, where we can move it. It’s a daily monitoring.”, per Yahoo! Sports. According to the Wrestling Observer transcribed via Sports Illustrated, TKO/WWE would be set to potentially lose around $70 to $90 million if they were to cancel or relocate the 11/7 WWE Crown Jewel Event.

In case you’ve lived under a rock, what are the international threats that could happen to the 11/7 WWE Crown Jewel event?

Well, currently, the United States and Israel are jointly having a WAR against the country of Iran. During June 2025 with strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran and then a full scale attack during late February 2026 that actually killed Iran’s leadership, this has set the stage for further escalations and violence throughout the Middle East. Iran’s response has been to attack United States allies in the region while also encouraging their proxy groups to attacks allies as well. This is what brings us to Saudi Arabia… The Houthis are an Iranian sponsored group who are located in Yemen, which is South of Saudi Arabia. They were struck by the United States, too, during 2025, but Houthis have been disrupting shipping routes against Saudi Arabia during 2026 via the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait throughout 2026 while striking various Saudi oil pipelines during September in addition to bombing the Riyadh airport throughout October including the very deadly one on 10/10.

These are just the recent incidents, as there’s been heat in the Middle East between the United States, plus its allies like England and Israel, for decades. Iran has been upset with the United States since 1953 when they joined forces with England to perform a coup of Iran’s elected leadership over oil. This boiled through 1979 when the Islamic Revolution occurred and overthrew the government that U.S./England installed. We’ve had the hostage incident soon thereafter, but we’ve endured decades of different military activities there while pretty much fighting a religious war as well. Iran, on its end, has been using its revenues generated from oil to build up its military while also funding proxy groups like Hamas (in Palestine), Hezbollah (in Lebanon), and the Houthis (in Yemen) with Israel often feeling the brunt of that. The October 7, 2023 attack from Hamas on Israel has really erupted the tension versus Iran and its proxy groups.

And here we are, discussing whether a wrasslin’ event should occur in the middle of these Middle East hostilities.

Keep in mind, WWE Crown Jewel is on Saturday, 11/7, which is happening AFTER both United States’s midterm elections on 11/3 and Israel’s elections on 10/27. WWE is a United States company, and TKO is a United States corporation. Saudi Arabia is a country heavily investing in the United States while selling them resources like oil, while also hosting military bases for the United States.

It’s too risky, in my opinion. Just way too close to the fire, as it places WWE employees, WWE independent contracted wrestlers, and any WWE fans or Saudi Arabia fans in complete unknown danger. We’re living in a different world where bombs come in different forms, drowns can fly in from anywhere, and the stockpile of interceptor munitions are low in attempt to defend attacks from Iran. The Patriot missile interceptors, for example, are around $2-4 million each and they are shooting down $20,000 drone flying vehicles.

So, let’s get a little dark here. Let’s assume that WWE Crown Jewel 2026 actually happens, as scheduled, on November 7, 2026.

And then, let’s assume that some for of attack happens at the event, whether it’s Houthi related or even directly from Iran.

(a) WWE traveling fans fly on planes. They could get attacked in the air, but their plane could also firebombed at the Riyadh Airport after it lands or before it takes off. Maybe attacked while in the airport facility itself.

(b) WWE wrestlers and company officials fly on planes. They could get attacked in the air, but their plane could also firebombed at the Riyadh Airport after it lands or before it takes off. Maybe attacked while in the airport facility itself.

(c) Mass casualties could happen if the WWE Crown Jewel event gets attacked, itself. Fans in attendance or WWE wrestlers/employees could get killed.

(d) If any Hotels or facilities where heavy concentration of people are located, like a restaurant, club, shopping center, etc., it could cause mass casualties.

And here’s the last point that I REALLY want to make.

(e) Let’s say an attack happens at this event, results in casualties and likely American ones as well but also to an event held by an American business. It’s guaranteeing a massive response, in epic proportions, by the United States who has the most weaponry by a longshot. It’s a “Pearl Harbor” moment and I would imagine Yemen (where the Houthis live) and Iran will eat many missiles and many lives will be lost, whether it’s from the Iran regime or associated with them or anybody who happens to live there. And if the attacks on Iran are really excessive, Iran’s business partners, Russia and China, could get further involved.

Hey TKO… DON’T let your WWE promotion be SITTING DUCKS and BAIT to cause a potential World War.

Money isn’t everything. The claims of losing around $70 to $90 million for cancelling WWE Crown Jewel 2026, along with potentially placing Wrestlemania 43’s $150 million revenue boom in jeopardy, are hilarious to me when considering the MASSIVE COSTS of what could happen if any fans, wrestlers, or company officials are killed as a direct result of holding just 1 minor PLE event in Saudi Arabia when peak danger is happening around them.

The WWE Crown Jewel 2026 card has the following matches:

– Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn
– Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green (or Nikki Bella)
– Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

Other matches to be announced later.

Working with what we have, let’s focus on arguably the top star of the bunch, Roman Reigns. He reportedly makes $5 million as a base salary, but with bonuses, royalties, and other incentives, he reported takes in up to $15 million per year. If TKO is willing to pay Roman $15 million per year, I guarantee you that Roman generates at least double, if not triple or quadruple that in revenue to be between $30 million to $60 million off of Roman alone. The guy headlines most of these top Saudi events, so I could argue that it’s much higher than that.

Let’s get really dark here… What if Roman, unfortunately, falls victim to a senseless attack because TKO insisted that WWE Crown Jewel still happened in Riyadh. Not only have you lost a major revenue generator that you LACK any replacements for on your developmental bench, but the major headlines of losing a top star would be incredibly detrimental to WWE and TKO’s public image. Remember when Owen Hart died due to WWE’s negligence? With Owen, that was an accident, but with WWE Crown Jewel 2026, you can see a potential accident waiting to happen. And then if the worse case scenario happens, WWE put its wrestlers, officials, and any fan in attendance into harm’s way and it would become their fault.

Liability out the arse for that TKO corporation, which could be much worse than losing $70-90 million from relocating or cancelling WWE Crown Jewel 2026. Stock price crashes, fans fully revolt against WWE and TKO, and TKO will go down in history for its careless actions. EVEN if the event happens without incident, the fact that they were negligent and placed WWE employees and wrestlers in harm’s way shows they could do it again in the future.

TKO has shown their hand. They are about making money and keeping the WWE to make as much money as humanly possible. Why? Not to pay wrestlers, as wrestler pay, besides its top stars whom they are literally BRIBING not to form or join unions, is actually declining. Remember, TKO wanted wrestlers to take 50% paycuts earlier this year while releasing many other wrestlers. Each of the TKO executive management and its board members are living in hog heaven right now, as Ari Emanuel earned $67.4 million, Mark Shapiro earned $42.6 million, and Nick Khan earned just over $24 million during 2025. TKO pays out a dividend of around $3.16 per share to its shareholders, too.

In my mind, TKO is feeling confidence because they have good relations with WWE Hall of Famer and current United States President Donald Trump. I would imagine security surrounding an American event for a brand he’s starred on would be extremely high. But security for many countries in that region, including Saudi Arabia, has been very high for the past 7+ months. Pipelines, airports, and United States military bases in Saudi Arabia have still been successfully attacked despite heighten security. And again, interceptor munitions are low.

And I laugh at people mocking anyone who suggest they’d “boycott” WWE Crown Jewel 2026 because of these regional threats that could happen. No, I see most WWE fans actually CARING about the WWE wrestlers they’ve supported for years. Further, they feel sympathy and empathy for any WWE fans attending WWE Crown Jewel. When you attend WWE events, you should feel safe to enjoy watching an event in-person. Same with traveling to an event, as you’d hope that the damn airport wouldn’t get attacked while you’re there.

If there is anything to “boycott”, it would be the WWE owned by TKO. Since early 2024 when they fully got rid of Vince McMahon (who deserved it) and began injecting its corporate tenacles into the entirety of WWE’s operations, this isn’t the WWE that you grew up watching. It’s a WWE company masquerading as the company you once enjoyed. Are you enjoying paying double/triple for PLEs with ESPN now? Enjoying those higher live event prices? Enjoying the gouging on merchandise? Do you enjoy the fact that TKO would rather send WWE’s biggest events to Saudi Arabia versus placing them in an arena or stadium near you? Do you enjoy WWE willing to take money from cities to host events and then price gouge fans, like they just did in Las Vegas for back-to-back Wrestlemanias?

TKO sucks as a corporation. They ruined UFC years ago when they bought them, as fighters have a low revenue sharing plan with TKO despite the fighters taking the pain. With WWE, they raised prices on everything while wrestler compensation has plateaued or declined in just the short period they’ve owned the company.

TKO isn’t even blinking about WWE Crown Jewel 2026. Wrestlers have to perform or they’ll be in breach of contract for this scheduled WWE event.

However, if ALL of the wrestlers actually joined together and refused to attend this event out of danger, maybe even unionizing… Then this TKO machine could be stopped in its tracks and wrestlers could fully realize what leverage they truly have. WWE is very VETERAN HEAVY right now, as they just cannot develop and mold wrestlers in the developmental system as well as the Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW) and Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) once did. Sorry, but Bron Breakker, Oba Femi, and other newer stars have NOTHING in terms of drawing power like CM Punk, Roman Reigns, Cody Rhodes, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, Seth Rollins, and others.

WWE wrestlers are complete FOOLS if they don’t understand the leverage that they have, whether that’s forcing WWE to pay them more money to perform at WWE Crown Jewel 2026 or to outright band together and refuse to perform. Long-term, form a union and force revenue sharing much like the NFL, NBA, and MLB players to do their leagues.

Again, WWE wrestlers… YOU are taking the bumps during WWE matches, NOT the TKO executives. Yet, they get paid MORE than you by sitting in a cozy boardroom while YOU have to travel, take bumps, and wrestle in dangerous environments.

This is such a BS topic to even discuss and I cannot believe we have to talk sense into any wrestling fans who think performing RIGHT NOW in Saudi Arabia is a good idea, let alone a greedy TKO corporation who could care more about its employees and independent contractors.

28 years of covering wrestling, and I have to talk sense into many wrestling fans who don’t give a crap about sending wrestlers into harm’s way. If WWE Crown Jewel 2026 goes on without issue, I’m sure I’ll hear “see, see, WWE was safe” but the possibility of it getting attacked should have been considered by TKO’s executives beforehand.

Ari Emanuel, Mark Shapiro, and Nick Khan should be REQUIRED to attend WWE Crown Jewel 2026 to PROVE that having an event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during November 2026 is safe. Have all 3 men sitting beside each other in the front row of the event, too. Require their families to attend the event, too. Further, they have to travel commercial. No private jets allowed… Attend commercial flights like any other fan or midcard wrestler has to for this WWE Crown Jewel 2026 event.

If TKO shareholders DEMANDED that Emanuel, Shapiro, and Khan attend WWE Crown Jewel 2026, this event would have been cancelled or relocated in an instant. FACT.

You SUCK, TKO. Blood sucking corporation and you’ve ruined the WWE since early 2024 when you fully took over the corporation that you paid around $10 billion to acquire.

It’s only going to get worse in the Middle East before it gets better, unfortunately. The Iranian leadership wasn’t just taken out, but their religious leaders were. Contrast that with removing other dictators… Removing the ayatollah is personal, as he’s the highest ranking religious official in the Shia brand of Islam. This is going to create headaches in the Middle East for years, and therefore places any WWE activity there also at risk.

This corporate crap makes wrestling less enjoyable, especially when you have no sympathy for human lives. FU TKO!

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: What If TKO’s WWE Crown Jewel 2026 Gets Attacked in Saudi Arabia on November 7th? appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

I tried to write this column last October. It’s something I’ve wanted to do, but I just can’t seem to make it work.

No matter how I approach it, I always end up in the same place. I get to the end, I hate it, I delete it. I step away for an hour or a day. I take a smoke break. I fill my coherence with THC, try another approach, and end up with something different that I hate just as much.

So let’s try again, and this time let’s go with it.

There are few things in this world I enjoy more than wrestling when it comes to entertainment. I have my own Mount Rushmore, and it’s pretty simple: wrestling, music, basketball, and anything having to do with horror.

I love horror, and I don’t just mean love. I mean LOVE.

Let me put it into perspective.

I was about seven years old when I watched my first true horror movie, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. That movie, back in 1987, kept me up that night, and I was immediately hooked on the adrenaline rush of it. The safe fear. Being terrified of something but knowing I was safe. It was exhilarating, and I’ve never looked back.

My left arm is riddled with horror tattoos, everything from Jason Voorhees to Art the Clown. I’m a movie collector, and my current collection of horror movies sits at 3,023.

Not 323. Three thousand and twenty-three.

It’s a collection I’ve spent decades building. Some of my favorite books include American Psycho, IT, The Long Walk, The Silence of the Lambs, I Am Legend, and Dracula, just to name a few.

Thus, it’s easy to imagine how much I love Halloween. What I want to do with this column is celebrate the crossroads of horror and wrestling by bringing some attention to a few movies that combine the two.

That’s it. That’s the column. I don’t know why I’ve spent so much time fighting with it.

Monster Brawl

This movie is so simple and fun. It’s almost the reverse idea of a cinematic match. While a cinematic match is wrestling trying to be cinema, Monster Brawl is cinema trying to be wrestling.

The concept is very basic. A one-night, King of the Ring-style tournament featuring classic monsters like Frankenstein, a werewolf, a mummy, Cyclops, and Witch Bitch, with each match fought to the death. It’s held in a graveyard, because where else would you hold it?

It’s presented with a full commentary team featuring Dave Foley and Art Hindle. Jimmy Hart is involved, Herb Dean officiates, and the cast includes Kurrgan as Frankenstein and Rosemary as Witch Bitch.

What makes this movie fun is the presentation. Yes, it’s a movie, but it doesn’t really have that movie feel. It’s shot like a wrestling pay-per-view, with that classic ’80s cartoonish feel I grew up with.

And I mean that as a compliment.

I don’t need an elaborate explanation for why these monsters are wrestling. I don’t need Frankenstein working through some personal issues before he can focus on the tournament. Just give me the monsters, put them in the ring, and let me watch.

There’s something about the whole thing that brings me back to being a kid. These are the kinds of ridiculous fights you’d come up with while playing with your action figures, except somebody actually went out and made a movie out of it.

It knows what it is. More importantly, it delivers on what it is.

This movie was just a fun good time.

Dark Match

Dark Match goes in a different direction, although it starts with something I’m sure plenty of independent wrestlers can appreciate: taking a booking because the money is good.

A small wrestling company agrees to work a show in a remote community, only to discover that the people putting it on are a cult with plans of their own. Chris Jericho plays the cult leader, a former wrestler who has found a considerably worse use for his microphone time.

Now, agreeing to travel somewhere unfamiliar because somebody promised you a good payday is already a situation with some potential for horror. Finding out you’re working for a cult certainly doesn’t help.

The wrestling matters here. This isn’t just a horror movie with a wrestler making a cameo. The show is part of what the cult has planned, and the wrestlers have walked into it without knowing what they’ve agreed to.

That’s what makes the premise work for me. There’s already something uncomfortable about being somewhere you don’t know, surrounded by people you don’t know, and realizing that something is wrong. By the time these wrestlers understand just how wrong it is, they’re involved.

It also gives Jericho something a little different to do. He isn’t simply showing up as Chris Jericho so wrestling fans can point at the screen. He gets to be part of the reason everything has gone to hell.

So if the monster tournament sounds a little too goofy for what you’re looking for, this takes the wrestling connection somewhere nastier.

Here for Blood

And then there’s Here for Blood, which is absolutely willing to be goofy.

Shawn Roberts plays Tom O’Bannon, a professional wrestler who takes over his girlfriend’s babysitting job while she studies for her exams. He needs the money, she needs the time, and looking after a kid for the night sounds simple enough.

Then masked cult members show up, and the night turns into a bloody mess.

The important thing here is that this is a horror comedy. Don’t go into it looking for the same kind of movie as Dark Match. The ridiculousness is a big part of the appeal.

Even before you get into the blood, there’s something funny about this big wrestler trying to handle a perfectly ordinary babysitting job. Then the movie gives him a problem that being a big wrestler might actually help solve.

Poor Tom just wanted to make some money. Now he’s dealing with people whose plans for the evening go well beyond getting the kid to bed.

And once things get going, the movie isn’t particularly interested in showing restraint. There’s blood, there’s absurdity, and there’s a sense of humor about the whole situation. The violence is part of the comedy rather than something the movie expects you to sit through with a straight face.

That matters to me. I love horror that genuinely gets under my skin, but I also love horror that lets me laugh at how completely out of hand everything has gotten.

Not everything needs to leave me staring at the ceiling afterward. Sometimes I want to watch a wrestler have the worst babysitting experience imaginable.

Here for Blood is that kind of movie.

Happy Halloween

These aren’t three movies I’m putting forward as the greatest horror films ever made. That wasn’t what I wanted to do here.

I wanted to write about some fun movies that bring together two things I’ve loved for most of my life. Maybe one of them gives you something to watch this Halloween. Maybe you’ve already seen all three.

Either way, I finally got through this damn column.

I’m going to take roll a joint before I change my mind.

Until the next smoke break, be excellent to one another.

My current Halloween horror movies/series I’ve watched this season:
Bride of Frankenstein, Creature From the Black Lagoon, Martyrs, Devil’s Mouth, Spider Island, Ice Cream Man, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, Passenger, Insidious: Out of the Farther, Buzzkill, I Blame Society, VHS Mixtape, Nightbreed, The Haunting, Five Nights at Freddys 2, As Above and So Below, Crystal Lake (Mini series), Carrie (Mini Series), A Nightmare Before Christmas

The post Smokebreak Psychology: Blood, Bodyslams, and Babysitting appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Many of my long-time readers have been asking “where have you been”, as my column volume has dropped off a bit. Well, for one, I write when I want… There’s no schedule for yours truly, as I just write when I’m feeling it… But, there’s some method to the madness as to why I took a few weeks off. No, it wasn’t for the 9/22/2026 column, as I’ve clearly followed that up with my 10/15/2026 column. I’ve been saying it for YEARS how dangerous putting on big events is within the Middle East. I’m not afraid of that topic.

No, I’ve been laying low because of my 9/16/2026 column that raised questions about AEW having a drug testing policy (or not) in the wake of Brian Cage admitting to using steroids and other PEDs on a podcast. Then, tragically on September 27, 2026, PAC from AEW (formerly known as Adrian Neville or Neville in WWE) passed away in his vehicle just after he performed at AEW’s All Out 2026. Almost immediately with the early indications of his death, as he was drooling and medication was found in his vehicle, I was immediately like “oh sh*t!”.

Now, in my column, I was making a point that because Brian Cage admitted to using steroids and other PEDs, that creates a question on if AEW has any kind of Wellness Policy. Then, I brought up quotes from wrestling insiders, like Dave Meltzer and Sean Ross Sapp, who indicated that there may not be testing but that AEW contracts state a “right to test” as needed. My only point was to bring up the FACT that Brian Cage caused a “smoking gun” situation, as I would have never wrote that column if he said nothing. But he did, and I wanted to simply question if AEW was protecting its wrestlers.

I guess it’s a sigh of relief… But it’s a shame PAC is no longer with us in the end. From all indications, he was a good locker room guy, always easy to work with, and very talented. In my opinion, both WWE and AEW could have utilized his talents more as he had the ability, the look (though shorter), and was charismatic inside the ring to pull off the “larger than life” needs that pro wrestling desires. However, he did 6 years in WWE and 7 years in AEW, along with a 10 year career before joining WWE. That’s pretty good imprint on the business, folks.

His death was officially ruled as bronchial asthma. If left undiagnosed or untreated, it is indeed lethal as asthma is inflammation of your airways.

Now, here’s what I’m curious about… A Wellness Policy isn’t just about drug testing. In fact, it’s often a program offered by most corporation for insurance purposes as a means to help get costs down. WWE implemented one for drug testing specifically, following the death of Eddie Guerrero in late 2005 and then ramped up its seriousness during mid 2006 due to Chris Benoit’s downfall and then the online pharmacy stuff right afterward. To a normal company, it’s usually bloodwork and a physical examination. WWE’s Wellness Policy did both the examination and the drug testing, and in FACT, it saved MVP’s life when he was in the WWE and an examination found an unknown heart condition that he’s treated ever since.

THIS is why ALL pro wrestlers in a corporate wrestling setting NEED TO BE INSURED and with that, required to have regular physical examinations.

The physical activity of performing, along with maintaining your look, makes it essential to require your performers to be examined for any health reasons.

Treat wrestlers like human beings and employees, not bulls going against a matador. They aren’t just “independent contractors”, and often times, you have to save people from themselves.

There are MULTIPLE studies out there that show men, in particular, refuse to see a doctor. Just doing various Google searches of various studies shows that 50% of men refuse to do annual examinations, 65% of men will avoid going to the doctor unless they absolutely have to, and men are more unlikely to see a doctor versus women by a big margin of various polls (ranging from 33% to 50%, depending on the survey).

I don’t know what happened to PAC. Was he diagnosed previously with asthma or not? Did he just forget to take his treatments? Did he forget his inhaler when an episode came up? I don’t know… BUT, if you have performers putting their bodies on the line, you should require regular examinations of the human beings you’re employing.

We don’t have the full facts here, but I strongly implore both WWE and AEW to TAKE CARE OF YOUR WRESTLERS and PROTECT YOUR WRESTLERS FROM THEMSELVES.

And for the record, I HAMMERED the WWE about their LACK of drug testing for years during the 2000s. I was sick and tired of so many wrestlers dying due to enlarged hearts, mixing pills and alcohol, and just dying so young. It was a regular occurrence. On top of that, WWE didn’t care about when wrestlers had concussions. They forced wrestlers to work through head trauma and in my opinion, that destroyed Chris Benoit and put him on the path of destruction. He was already intense naturally, but lacking any concussion protocol and a serious drug testing policy just poured gasoline on someone with the bad genetic make-up who would either kill or get killed because there was no “off” switch to pushing his body to the limits.

However, WWE implemented the serious Wellness Policy during 2006 and then later implemented a concussion protocol. That has SAVED LIVES.

PAC’s death is a teachable moment… Wrestling promotions need full Wellness Policies that examine their wrestlers regularly, especially based on the physical stress that performing, maintaining, and traveling causes. Lots of mental health issues, too, of living out of your suitcase and working long hours on top of all of that.

Personally, I’ve tried to rid some of my own stubbornness of seeing doctors and they’ve found a few things here in my 40s that I’m working on and I’ve seen real improvements. Your bloodwork can paint a real picture of what’s going on internally, while being honest with a doctor of anything that’s ailing you could also help. Just find the right doctor, as many are too quick to prescribe something versus actually recommending a lifestyle change that could be more beneficial.

I’m just going to tell you this truth as someone who is rounding the bases of his 28th year as Mr. Tito here in late October… This pro wrestling stuff gets REAL often.

You spend so much time, become loyal, and get emotionally invested in wrestlers that it’s a literal gut punch when someone passes away. I am seriously not over Owen Hart and Eddie Guerrero’s deaths, while Chris Benoit’s stuff bothers me to this day. I’m still sad about Brodie Lee (Luke Harper) passing away suddenly, as he had a lot of runway left in his career. Sid Eudy was one of my favorite wrestlers, and it was so sad to hear him passing of cancer but then seeing WWE piss on him for his Hall of Fame induction. 2-time champion deserved better than what the WWE gave him.

But damn, we’re enduring lots of hard hitting stories… The deaths, but literally all of the crap involving Vince McMahon and his scandals. There’s WAR in the Middle East and we’re debating whether WWE should have events right in the middle of that region where an airport was bombed. Just scandal after scandal, as I’ve literally seen it all for the past 28 years as Mr. Tito and almost 40 years as a wrestling fan.

YET, the highest of the highs of pro wrestling always keep us hooked… We’re always chasing that high because when wrestling clicks on all cylinders, there is NO better form of entertainment. Lots of lows with wrestling, too, such as what I mentioned above but many bad matches, many bad pushes, many bad angles, and many awful and unfunny comedy segments… BUT, because the highs are so good, we keep coming back. I’ve tried to put down the Pro Wrestling AND Mr. Tito crackpipe down multiple times, but then I need another hit…

RIP PAC. Thank you for all that you’ve done for pro wrestling.

Onto your questions.

ASK TITO: YOUR QUESTIONS, MY ANSWERS

What are some of your favorite PAC/Neville matches?

I’m not the best person for this question, as since I cut Cable during 2015, I’ve watched most of the WWE television on condensed Hulu or YouTube or watching highlights on Premium Live Events. Because of that, I’ve missed chunks of Neville’s WWE career. Without cable, I’m also not watching as much AEW as I could and am also reliant on clips for them on televised shows. However, I’ve watched most of AEW’s Pay Per Views through 2024 and probably all of WWE’s on WWE Network during his career.

For AEW, I always thought PAC had good in-ring chemistry with Kenny Omega for some reason. They just clicked perfectly and seemed to know how to properly work with each other. I hate to admit this, but I LOVED the PAC match with Orange Cassidy. By far, Orange Cassidy’s best match and PAC sold everything perfectly to make the match look legit but also feeling like the perfect comedy match.

His match in NXT with Sami Zayn in late 2014 incredible and worth checking out. That was probably my favorite WWE/NXT match that he had. I’m a tad hazy remembering anything that stood out beyond that peak match, as he was soon joining WWE and they didn’t really use him other than the Cruiserweight division that WWE didn’t care about.

*****

(From my boy Thurl): What are your thoughts on Max Caster being terminated from TNA by rapping about the Riyadh Airport being bombed?

There’s a line in pro wrestling… Sometimes it bends, sometimes it doesn’t. However, I would suggest that the line that should NEVER be crossed is making jokes about DEATH. People died as a result of the Riyadh airport bombing. He made a joke about that, and hence why TNA (maybe with WWE coaxing them because of their relations and WWE/TKO’s relations with Saudi Arabia) terminated him. Max has been very apologetic because he instantly blew his TNA opportunity, while probably never landing a WWE spot as well. The AEW door closed before that, but is probably welded shut, too.

To me, my question is “where are the adults in the room?”. For one, Max should think about what he says on screen. Joking about an incident where people died maybe crosses that line… However, who produced that match and that rapping segment from TNA’s standpoint? Did they ask Max about what he was going to rap about or did they give him full freedom to say whatever he wanted to say? Either scenario creates issues, as TNA should assume liability if they knew he was going to say that but if they gave him freedom, it’s as I said above, sometimes you have to protect wrestlers from themselves. Max thought it was a quick way to get heat, versus thinking of something more clever to say instead. He went for the short-term gain versus the long-term one, and it cost him a job and probably forever ruins his reputation in the business.

That said, I think he should be given another chance… Many wrestlers have done FAR WORSE and were allowed to return. He said words, which I think could be corrected.

Problem with Max Caster is that he worked for TNA who has relations with WWE. WWE is bed and about to send their wrestlers to Saudi Arabia who recently had their airport attached by Houthis fighting a war on behalf of Iran. If TNA wants to do business with WWE, they’ve got to play by WWE’s rules…

I think if you were a promotion like GCW or JCW, I’d sign Caster immediately and advertise that he’s “unfiltered” but behind the scenes, have someone clear what he says first just to, again, “protect a wrestler from themself”. But the fans won’t know that a producer is filtering him slightly and it will work, and Max Caster will become a star there.

*****

What are your thoughts on the 2026 Money in the Bank briefcase winners?

I agree with Tiffany Stratton winning, disagree with Penta.

Tiffany is still young, I didn’t think she had a good run with the Women’s Title before, and she’s very talented and deserving. And good lord, she regularly breaks the internet with her social media photos and that stuff still matters. Personally, I thought she was above and beyond the top wrestler in that match and most deserving to win the briefcase.

Penta is Jey Uso all over again. Very popular merchandise seller and a WWE fan favorite, but lacks the intangibles to grow the business beyond the existing WWE fanbase. That, and he’s too reliant on his style within his matches and if an opponent can’t work his style of match, it falls apart. Remember when Penta debuted and everyone applauded him as looking tremendous? Yeah, because Chad Gable sold everything like a champ and does that with everyone.

If you’re going to hold a briefcase with a world title shot, the person holding it should be world title worthy. A main eventer has intangibles in terms of charisma, look & size, personality, mic skills, psychology, and athletic abilities that is magnetic towards ANY type of consumer, not just dedicated wrestling fans. You already have the wrestling fans’ money, as they are marks and they’ll keep eating the BS sandwiches you feed them. Hence why we’ve had MANY bad world champions… But if you want to grow the business, the world champion has to absolutely WOW a non-wrestling fan.

I just think a guy in a mask who can do flippy moves has been done repeatedly, and also, better by other performers. He’s good, but just not exceptional to be on the very top of the card that draws in big houses. I don’t mind him maybe getting a World Title shot on RAW or Smackdown, where he’d lose in a good fight… But to be positioned to actually win the title and especially with the CHEAP MITB cash-in, I just don’t think it’s going to work. He needs to do more or expand his skillsets to take that next step beyond literally the same performer we saw in AEW who is very dependent on his opponent overselling his complicated moves or stunts.

You’ll call me a “madman” for that take, but when he’s another short-term champion and resembles Jey Uso, you’ll thank me for being right.

*****

Do you believe that Gunther has been used properly?

For the most part, the WWE has used the maximum of his abilities. That said, I’d argue that losses to Jey Uso and Sami Zayn on very big stages were particularly damaging to Gunther and during the timeframe of those losses, we should have had a match against Brock Lesnar then. Instead, he loses to both Zayn and Jey and we’re supposed to patch that damage together by defeating two older guys in Bill Goldberg and John Cena?

BUT, I don’t see “all time great” stuff with Gunther. Great performer and great heel, but we’ve seen the same schtick for many years now. He’s dominant but then the arrogance gets the best of him to cause him to lose. Rinse and repeat… However, I don’t think he has many more dimensions to his character other than that smug or dominant heel. Or, maybe because he was denied an opportunity to work toe-to-toe with Brock Lesnar, he didn’t get a chance to turn “serious mode” on for an entire match.

I don’t know, folks… He’s a two-time World Champion and that shows WWE has used him reasonably well. I struggle arguing against that point, but I think the opportunity to really get him over with creative “smoke & mirrors” was to have him remain Intercontinental Champion and not lose it to Sami Zayn and then go on to challenge Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar to unite the titles. THAT could have helped him… BUT, without that serious moment, he’s got nothing but the same character that we’ve seen for years and it’s not drawing as well as it could.

Gets into my overall point, as described with Penta above, is WHO ARE YOU PUSHING, WWE? With due respect to the World Titles, they are NOT participation trophies. Yeah, I understand wanting to reward Sami Zayn and Jey Uso for their hard work, BUT there are plenty of great midcarders in the WWE Hall of Fame who NEVER got even close to the WWE Title. Anyone care to debate the greatness of Razor Ramon, Jake “the Snake”, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Big Bossman, and many others with me? You can have a great career and not win the World Title, but I think that WWE during the 21st Century doesn’t think that and that’s why business has declined since the end of the 20th century.

*****

Do you think that the “Street Fighter” movie will propel Cody, Roman, or other WWE careers into film?

Obviously, Hulk Hogan and then especially the Rock and John Cena have paved the road for “larger than life” character to easily translate their work onto the big screen.

Street Fighter is projected, as of early Sunday morning when I write this, for a $31 million opener. That would be a “disaster” if this were a Marvel film that was made for $200 million, but Street Fighter was made for just $82 million. So, it will do OK and I figure it will grow further on streaming and disc purchases.

This is where I’ll reveal myself… I was a hardcore Street Fighter 2 arcade player when I was a young kid, especially when the Championship Edition was released and the expanded roster occurred. I remember getting the issue of Swatpro, which was Gamepro’s secrets and tips side magazine, that revealed all of the special moves of the game for the first time. I memorized that thing and then took my knowledge to the arcade. All of the local gamers, who didn’t figure out the moves already, were like WTF when I was flying across the screen repeatedly as M. Bison or throwing fireballs or uppercuts all day long as Ryu (preferred him over Ken).

I’ll give kudos to Cody Rhodes for looking like Guile, but the attitude of the character is just a tough off. Meanwhile, Roman Reigns played Akuma in Street Fighter… HEY ROMAN, Akuma does NOT have a beard! Shave that damn thing to look the part in the movie! Otherwise, it’s Roman Reigns playing in a Street Fighter movie. “Oh, I can’t jeopardize my look for WWE shows”, the hell you can’t! This is a major movie and you need to look the part to make this a credible effort. It’s about as dumb as Jean Claude Van Damme barely even trying to look like Guile in the first Street Fighter movie effort.

It’s when movies compromise with actors, that’s when films go to crap.

Big 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, and even the fans somewhat agree that this movie is just OK with 80%.

Back in the day and if you ever encounter me to play Street Fighter 2, Ryu and M. Bison were my guys though I love to play newbs as E. Honda just to mess with them.

As time will tell, I think that CM Punk and Roman Reigns playing a pair of animated zebras in Zootopia 2 will have a bigger impact than sort of looking like trademark characters in the Street Fighter series. Many of these video game to live action series transactions just don’t work, as we’re on multiple tries for Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, and now Street Fighter. Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat’s appeal is that they are multiplayer games and that’s why they sell. Their backstories are secondary. So far, Nintendo is doing OK with the animated Mario films, but the real test will be the Legend of Zelda game next year. I think that will succeed because Zelda is about the story more so than the gameplay.

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post ASK TITO: PAC Passing Away, Max Caster’s Promo in TNA, WWE MITB 2026 Briefcase Winners, Gunther’s Creative, and Much More appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Same premise, minus the social issue distraction… But for both Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), there exists more fighters hurting themselves in the octagon and more wrestlers tanking bumps in and outside of the ring than there are TKO executives. MMA fighters and pro wrestlers don’t realize how much leverage they truly have, especially household name wrestlers who don’t have their careers dictated by actual wins or losses like UFC fighters.

Thus, when your TKO executives still want you to fly to and wrestle at Saudi Arabia for the WWE Crown Jewel event, the wrestlers could band together and REFUSE TO PERFORM. What could TKO do if ever WWE superstar grouped together and refused to be sent in an area of severe danger.

You know, like Saudi Arabia where the Houthis have recently attacked oil pipelines and the airport in Riyadh, home of both WWE Crown Jewel and 2027’s Wrestlemania 43.

The very airport that WWE superstars will arrive at was attacked. On October 10th and 11th, multiple strikes occurred that caused up to 14 people killed and a reported 300 who were wounded by the blasts. That is dangerous…

One would think, “the United States will protect WWE from harm”. Wait, isn’t Saudi Arabia a massive ally of the United States and also a bigtime trading partner? Wasn’t the entire premise of 1990-1991’s Desert Storm to protect the possibility of Saudi Arabia being invaded after Iraq invaded Kuwait? Saudi is a major investor in United States businesses, too.

I wouldn’t quite guarantee safety… Yes, the United States still has one of the most superior militaries in the world and has the biggest missile stock, but we’re in a day and age where drones and other types of missiles can be launched or fired from mobile sites. This is a different type of warfare, but I’d also argue a different type of combatant, too. It’s one thing when you’re up against a ruthless dictator, but it’s another matter when their dictator is also another the highest ranking religious cleric. When you’re willing to die in the name of your religion, no other Fs will be given about human life.

The Middle East has been a dangerous place for decades, and United States involvement with Israel, the 1953 Iranian coup, placing bases throughout the Middle East, and fighting multiple wars, unjust or not, has made the region feel an anti-American sentiment. Iran has had issues with the United States since the 1953 coup that overthrew an elected leader and it’s been rocky relations with us ever since in that region. Then, since June of last year and especially since late February if this year, the United States has engaged in serious military strikes against Iran that saw their leadership destroyed and martyred. In return, Iran has ramped up its own attacks against any Middle Eastern country favorable to the United States, including Saudi Arabia, and has encouraged any proxy group to attack on their behalf, like the Houthis located in Yemen which is South of Saudi Arabia.

They attacked the airport… Where is the seriousness by TKO executives about this situation?

Nope, gotta protect that massive Saudi Arabia deal that guarantees $25 to $30 million per regular event, while paying WWE $100 million for Royal Rumble 2026 and $250 million for Wrestlemania 43.

What the TKO and/or Endeavor/Silver Lake folks think about is how the TKO stock could tank if WWE has to move locations of those Premium Live Events (PLE). Meanwhile, they aren’t thinking of the total disaster TKO could have if, and I pray this would never happened, is if the Crown Jewel event is hit with an attack. In addition to the WWE wrestlers, losing Saudi Arabia fans would be a tragedy as well. Any loss of life would be a tragedy. By still having Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, WWE is placing its own wrestlers, production staff, and fans from Saudi Arabia at risk.

These are serious times and we need serious leadership to make decisions that protects lives.

So far, TKO has said nothing about moving the event…

And that proves what a joke TKO and its executives truly are.

All of these revenues generated from massive TV deals, Saudi Arabia, and severely price gouging WWE fans for live events and merchandise, yet TKO has the NERVE to ask its performers to take a 50% paycut and/or be terminated. Meanwhile, if you look at TKO’s proxy statements, its executives are pulling in the big bucks by sitting in a boardroom while their performers take the punishment inside and outside of the ring.

Right now, WWE’s World Champions are guaranteed to be there, with Roman Reigns vs. Sami Zayn and Liv Morgan vs. Chelsea Green with other matches to be determined later.

Those 4, alone, should go to WWE and TKO’s management and outright REFUSE to perform at this event due to safety concerns.

Now, we all know that Roman Reigns will likely get private jet treatment to transport to the event and that usually occurs at a different part of the airport or in a secure location. Each of the wrestlers, at minimum, should demand equal treatment. Again, the airport in Riyadh was attacked…

But if Roman Reigns values his own life and wants to cement the respect of the entire WWE locker room, he should take a stand and demand the event be moved. Sure, WWE might lose $20-$30 million this time, but Roman and the entire roster will be alive on November 7th to perform somewhere in America. World Title vs. World Title matches will draw here in the United States, and thus, WWE and TKO won’t lose that much money. Then, 6 months later, you can re-assess Wrestlemania 43.

There’s just too much danger in this region and lots of anti-American sentiment per recent foreign policy decisions on top of decades of things bubbling in the Middle East. It wasn’t safe before 2025 or 2026 and even Saudi Arabia, itself, had issues with its culture to be a questionable place to host WWE events. Again, think about that plane ride where WWE superstars weren’t allowed to leave the country for over 1 day or think about how female WWE wrestlers have to look when wrestling at their events. Saudi aside, the hostilities of neighboring countries has always created risks for WWE hosting events there and that was probably part of the premium that gave WWE $20-$30 million per event and pricing in $100 million for Rumble 2026 and $250 million for Wrestlemania 43.

This airport strike changes the game… Way too close to where Crown Jewel and eventually Wrestlemania 43 will be.

Safety first, as a WWE event could be a major target with it being a major American brand.

The TKO executives should be ashamed of themselves for not already moving the Crown Jewel event.

If Saudi right now is so safe, then the TKO executives and their full extended families should all attend the event to make a point. Come on, if life is so precious, then prove it by placing your entire family on a plane and sitting in that arena while chaos is happening in that region. Lead by example instead of continuing to siphon funds as fat cat executives while the wrestlers continue to bump and wrestle in dangerous environments.

And for the record, I’ve been consistent on protecting wrestler safety as noted in my column on September 22nd after the Houthis hit the oil pipeline and when the United States issued a travel advisory. Crazy how much things have escalated since.

Wrestlers HAVE THE LEVERAGE because without them, there are no events. The top wrestlers (Roman, Cody, Punk, etc.) need to protect the entire roster and join them in standing up to the clowncar known as TKO executive team who only cares about making themselves rich. The reason why WWE has never unionized is because top stars buddy up to WWE management and are essentially paid more money to be the best company men possible. Hulk Hogan ratted out Jesse Ventura when he tried to unionize before Wrestlemania 2, and Vince since took care of the top guys while thinking the midcarders were disposable.

Well, now this isn’t about unionizing. This is about safety and being potential political and religious targets in a region that has been violent. Stand up to the arrogant TKO management and protect your co-workers from harm’s way! REFUSE to perform at WWE Crown Jewel!!!!!

Remember, WWE wrestlers… There are more of you than there are of them (TKO executives).

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: WWE Wrestlers Need to Stand Up to Greedy TKO Management and REFUSE to Perform at WWE Crown Jewel appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

My morning ritual is sacred to me. For more than two decades, I was up at 4:00 a.m. with or without an alarm for work. Now, my ritual goes like this:

Wake up by 4 a.m. If I don’t, I have a 13-pound black cat named Loki softly headbutting me into consciousness to let me know it’s time to feed him and the other two cats. After I feed them, I put on a pot of coffee, then take a joint, incense, and my tablet to the bathroom.

That’s where the real ritual begins. I smoke, meditate, and set my mind for the day. I let the noise settle. Then I kick back, run a bath, and either read a book in the tub or listen to an audiobook. It is my quiet hour before the world gets a vote.

Somewhere in between all of that, I check sports scores and news headlines while purposely avoiding any potential wrestling spoilers. I always watch the next morning on demand. But the news of Max Caster still managed to make it into my spoiler-free feed.

This column isn’t about Max Caster.

It’s about a train of thought I keep seeing.

This isn’t about whether what Max Caster said was right or wrong. I won’t say much about that, because we are all entitled to our own opinions, and we all have to answer to our own virtues and morals. I’m not here to teach people what morals and virtues are.

What this is about is the constant argument of “but the Attitude Era.”

I was born in 1980. I’ll be 46 on Thanksgiving. I lived through the Attitude Era. But the mid-’90s were a different era. That was 30 years ago.

Let me remind you of the ’90s: steroids in baseball. The Twin Towers were still standing. O.J. Simpson was on trial. Independence Day was the number one movie at the box office. Will Smith had officially broken out after The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette was the number one album.

I want to put even that into perspective. Thirty years before that, Martin Luther King Jr. was fighting for civil rights. The number one movie was the James Bond film Thunderball, and Rubber Soul by The Beatles had just been released.

Something else that was 30 years before the Attitude Era: there was no legal age of consent. Let that settle in for a moment. For my generation, we were just as far removed from a time with no legal age of consent as today is from the rise of DX.

You know what else we did in the Attitude Era? Think of every derogatory term you can think of aimed at the LGBTQ community, and we used it openly. Was it hurtful then? Yes. Did we care, or think about things in that way? No. But if something was different, “that’s gay.” If someone said something stupid, “you’re a fag.”

The world evolves. Mankind evolves. Wrestling evolves with it, and so do social norms and what is or isn’t acceptable.

Athletes are different now. There’s new science and new understanding of how to maintain or build the body. We see diverse athletes doing different things. People consume media differently. Tastes have changed. We live in a viral world where most people value moments over long-term storytelling.

So let’s take a look at what Max Caster said and compare it, just for argument’s sake.

Now, I won’t pretend to know the exact phrasing, but that’s not important. What’s important is that he used a tragedy for entertainment. He referenced an attack where at least 13 people were murdered and more than 300 were injured. These were innocent people. The strike hit King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and TNA later apologized, removed the segment from replays and social media, and cut ties with Caster.

Where does that become entertainment?

You know what else happened just shy of 30 years ago? Columbine. I was a senior in high school when it happened, and I remember it vividly. It was a world where school shootings were not the norm. Sixteen dead. Twenty-three injured.

I lived through this. If Degeneration X or The Rock had come out in the wake of Columbine and used it for edgy heat, it would not have flown. The outrage would have been rule. In a world where we used terms like “fag” on a daily basis with no regard for anyone else, we still would not have allowed that.

So what makes what happened in Riyadh any different? Why am I seeing people try to defend what Caster said by using the Attitude Era as an example?

Let’s look side by side:

• Attitude Era: Columbine — 16 dead, 23 injured. Columbine would have gotten someone cancelled before cancelling was even a known thing.
• Today: The Riyadh airport attack — at least 13 dead, more than 300 injured.

We are supposed to be progressing as a world and as a species, making things better. In no world is this acceptable. But to pretend these comments would have flown in the Attitude Era is someone using it as an excuse for one reason or another. If you look at the pure numbers, 39 victims would have gotten someone cancelled before cancelling was a thing. More than 300 victims, and the response is “but the Attitude Era.”

Why? Because the attack wasn’t on American soil? Because the victims were mostly Muslim? What makes this different? I’m not judging. I’m genuinely asking.

But that’s not my whole point. It’s not just current issues and how we address them.

The music we listen to and how we obtain it is different.

Every major sport is different. Why do you hear endless debates about Jordan versus LeBron? Two different eras. Two totally different games. The game has evolved and become something different.

What was a catch in the NFL 30 years ago is no longer a catch.

You know what else I did in the Attitude Era? I went to Blockbuster Video, rented a VHS called UFC 1, and watched a one-night tournament where Royce Gracie beat three men — all in the same night, all in higher weight classes than Gracie.

Would that happen today? Shane Strickland is in the same weight class. Today, if someone said Strickland was going to fight Carlos Ulberg, only to then fight Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane later that night, all within a two-hour span, we couldn’t fathom it.

Different world. Different time.

For today’s teenagers, Steve Austin and The Undertaker are what Bruno Sammartino and Lou Thesz were to my generation. Just look at the difference in presentation and what was and wasn’t acceptable then.

We need to quit comparing everything to the Attitude Era. The world is vastly different. No different than 30 years from now, in 2056, when I’m sure the art of wrestling will be much different than it is now. Austin and Undertaker will be nothing more than names from the past, an age of a bygone era, while names like Cody Rhodes will be revered for their contributions in much the same context as we view Steve Austin — as a defining part of his era.

The Enlightened Part

Here’s the thing: nostalgia is not a moral defense.

The Attitude Era gave us moments, characters, and memories that still matter. It gave a lot of us reasons to love this business. But loving something does not mean pretending it existed outside of its time. Wrestling has always been a mirror of the world around it, whether we like what the mirror shows us or not.

We don’t honor the past by dragging its worst instincts into the present. We honor it by understanding it, learning from it, and allowing the art form to grow. The Attitude Era was great for what it was. It is not a permission slip for what we do now.

Progress is not the enemy of wrestling. Forgetting where we came from is. But so is refusing to move forward.

The Fun Part

Now, on to a little fun, because I like to lighten things at the end.

So, just for shits and grins, I sat down and did a full list of my 25 all-time musical artists. I ran an algorithm that took into account my listening habits over the last six months, one year, two years, and five years.

Per “science and math,” here’s my top 25 musical artists of all time:

1. Counting Crows
2. Misfits
3. J. Cole
4. Gojira
5. Bad Religion
6. Cattle Decapitation
7. Descendents
8. Amyl and The Sniffers
9. Kendrick Lamar
10. Lorna Shore
11. Social Distortion
12. Whitechapel
13. Knocked Loose
14. The Chats
15. Dead Pioneers
16. Trivium
17. Escuela Grind
18. The Black Dahlia Murder
19. Prince
20. David Bowie
21. The Killers
22. Rapsody
23. Fleetwood Mac
24. Dead Kennedys
25. Mastodon

That list says a lot about me. Punk, metal, hip-hop, classic rock, deathcore, and a little Prince and Bowie to keep things civilized.

But that’s the point, isn’t it? Taste changes. Time changes. People change.

And so does wrestling.

Until the next smoke break, be excellent to one another.

The post Smoke Break Psychology: “But the Attitude Era” Is Not an Argument appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

The show started well with the World Heavyweight Championship match, as Roman Reigns defended the title against LA Knight.

We all knew Knight wasn’t going to win the title, as I have a feeling the endgame is for Oba Femi to be the guy who dethrones Reigns, either at WrestleMania or sooner. However, we could at least expect a really strong match between these two, and that’s exactly what we got.

Knight and Reigns showed why they are considered main event players in WWE. They put together a match that took fans on a ride and made them believe Knight might actually have a chance of beating Roman for the championship. He didn’t, and Reigns ultimately retained, but Knight was elevated in the process, which is better than nothing.

Afterward, Reigns had his first interactions with Royce Keys and his group, leading to The Bloodline and Solo attacking them. The two groups then brawled all over the arena. That was a great overall opening for the show, in my opinion, and I want to see where this goes.

Then, the show started to go into a downward spiral, beginning with the women’s Money in the Bank match.

Nothing against these women, as they did their best with what they were given and put on a very strong match overall. However, this was an opportunity for WWE to create a new star, as four of the participants were fresh faces, while the two veterans, Roxanne Perez and Tiffany Stratton, could help them along.

Personally, I would have given the briefcase to Roxanne, but I wouldn’t have minded seeing Sol Ruca, Lash Legend, or even Lola Vice get the big win over Tiffany, who was the safe choice in my opinion.

At least with Roxanne, you would have someone new getting a push, along with the interesting story of whether she would betray Liv Morgan and cash in on her. With Tiffany, I feel like one of two things will happen. Either she’ll betray Chelsea Green and cash in on her, which would automatically turn Tiffany heel, or she’ll wait for Chelsea to lose the title and cash in on whoever wins it, probably Nikki Bella. That would suck.

WWE had a chance to make a new star with this match, but they decided to go with the same old, same old. I’m not really interested in that.

Next, we had Oba Femi vs. Bronson Reed, which was pretty much what I expected: a way to make Oba look unstoppable and create the next Brock Lesnar in the process.

Too bad they had to kill off The Vision in order to do that.

Nothing against the match itself, but where does The Vision go from here after being completely destroyed by Oba Femi? They did pretty much everything they could to beat him, even using brass knuckles and having Bronson Reed hit the Tsunami. Oba still got up and destroyed not only Bronson but Austin Theory as well, while making Logan Paul look like a complete idiot in the process.

This was a humiliation of The Vision as a faction. How can fans take these three seriously after this match? The only interesting part was seeing Paul Heyman’s reaction afterward and wondering where things will go from here.

While this did wonders for Oba, The Vision was collateral damage, and it’s going to be difficult for the group to recover and convince fans that they’re still a strong faction.

The fourth match was the Women’s World Championship match, and I had high hopes for it because all three women have delivered great matches together in the past. However, this was an average match at best, and I really didn’t understand the ending.

This showed that the only reason WWE gave Stephanie the championship in Chile was to give fans a big moment at that show and try to boost subscriptions to its Club WWE program. Outside of that, it made little sense to give the belt to Stephanie only for her to drop it back to Liv a month later.

Liv as champion isn’t interesting anymore, especially since the Money in the Bank briefcase is on SmackDown, and I doubt WWE will have Tiffany jump to RAW to cash in.

So where does this leave us? Most of the newer faces on the RAW roster have already been pushed aside by the way the Money in the Bank match played out. There’s also no real reason for Roxanne or Raquel to turn on Liv right now. We’re essentially stuck with the status quo, meaning we’ll have to continue watching the same three women face each other for the title.

Finally, the men’s Money in the Bank match main-evented the show, and boy, was it a chore to get through.

This match shouldn’t have been as long as it ended up being. I would have liked to see Bron Breakker win, as giving the briefcase to a heel is always more entertaining than giving it to a face. However, I don’t mind Penta winning it, as it makes sense to give the briefcase to one of the hottest characters in the company.

The problem is that the match really dragged. Aside from a few awesome spots, most of which were performed by Je’Von Evans, nothing really stood out, and the match was just plain boring.

Again, I have nothing against Penta winning the briefcase, and his path to the championship will be interesting. However, I don’t see him having a successful cash-in. This feels more like WWE trying to capitalize on Penta’s sudden popularity following his great showing against Roman Reigns in Mexico.

In the end, for a show that’s considered to be on the same level as the Royal Rumble and Survivor Series, this was an underwhelming event. It showed that WWE creative is afraid to take chances and would rather go with the safe option, which is exactly what happened last night.

The Money in the Bank PLE used to be one of the most unpredictable shows of the year. Now, it’s just another event where nothing particularly special happens, which is kind of sad to see.

The post WWE Money in the Bank 2026: The most underwhelming event of the year appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Reportedly, the country of Saudi Arabia is paying the WWE upwards of $250 million to host WrestleMania 43. Prior to 2027, only Canada (twice) was fortunate enough to host WWE’s biggest and most trademarked event since its inception in 1985. Prior to WrestleMania 43, Saudi has paid the WWE $100 million for Royal Rumble 2026 and around $20-30 million per various other Premium Live Event (PLE) shows. This relationship with Saudi Arabia has been a very lucrative one for the WWE and now TKO since 2018. However, it has come with a few headaches, too.

For example:

– Saudi Arabia’s government is based heavily on Sharia Law. You may look that up yourself, but it’s a good reason why we have “separation of church and state” here in the United States. State-run religion tends to historically dislike any other religions contrary to the one that the government practices. Further with Saudi Arabia, they are just now granting various rights and opportunities to females now that weren’t there in the past. During WWE PLEs, the country runs various ads and video segments in attempt to advertise how much they’ve evolved lately.

– The assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi occurred during October 2018, which put a ton of world attention on the country. If you’ll recall, there was political pressure on Vince McMahon to not host a recent PLE there during that time (Crown Jewel), but he still had the event anyway despite lots of political pressure not to.

– Following the Crown Jewell 2019 event, WWE wrestlers were stuck in a plan for almost full day due to a reported payment dispute that Vince McMahon had with the country of Saudi Arabia for hosting their events. While Vince and top wrestlers got the hell out of dodge via private plane, up to 200 wrestlers, production crew members, and other WWE employees were left stranded and the plane wasn’t allowed to leave… Or that’s one side of the story, as WWE claimed mechanical issues. Then why keep them on the same plane?

BUT, I would say since 2019, it’s been a smooth experience and the country of Saudi Arabia seems to like working with the TKO/Endeavor group. UFC has had 2 of its events in Saudi Arabia, for example, and there have been no hiccups with WWE. After all, both Royal Rumble and WrestleMania went to Saudi for $350 million. Safe to suggest that the relationship is doing well right now.

WrestleMania 43 will be in Riyadh… On September 19, 2026, a fuel storage depot near the Riyadh Airport was attached by drones and missiles. This was reportedly performed by Houthi, a religious group based out of the country of Yemen with close ties to Iran. Weeks prior to this, they successfully struck the East-West pipeline in Saudi Arabia. Want to know why gas prices shot up during September? There you go, this very attack. Other places and military bases have also been struck lately, along with a few Saudi Arabia tankers in the Red Sea. While Iran conducts its own strategy within the Strait of Hormuz, the Houthis have been performing its own attacks the Red Sea. Both waterways surround Saudi Arabia on both sides.

Why is Saudi Arabia being attacked? It’s who they know and associate themselves with lately…

During late February of 2026, Israel conducted military strikes on Iran with the United States providing additional military support on the country of Iran. Prior to this, strikes occurred during June of 2025 to “obliterate” their nuclear facilities. These strikes continued that premise, but also had direct strikes on the leadership of Iran and ended up killing the Ayatollah and other top Iranian officials.

Iran’s response has been rather unique… Instead of getting revenge directly on Israel and the United States, they’ve opted to attack any Middle East country who serves as an ally for either country. In addition to strikes directly on Israel, they’ve aimed drones and missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, and of course, Saudi Arabia. Sometimes, they were aiming at United States military bases in the regions (hence the casualties), both other times they were hitting key infrastructure such as oil or natural gas refineries which takes years to rebuild (hence, another reason why gas prices are up). Iran also realized that they could control the Strait of Hormuz, which is a waterway connecting the Persian Gulf (remember that from Desert Storm of 1990-1991?) and the Gulf of Oman waterways that many Middle Eastern countries use to transport oil to various countries.

As Iran has attacked all of these different countries, most of which are allies with United States, they are causing each country to burn through their interceptor missile munition supplies to shoot down any missiles or drones that Iran sends their way. In many cases, we’re looking at $2-5 million interceptor missiles shooting down drones that might cost up to $30,000 each. Each of these allied Middle Eastern countries have burned through their protective stockpiles and now it makes them more vulnerable than ever. This military equipment can’t be made fast enough to protect against future attacks. It also costs a ton of money to make (Patriot missile types, especially).

I’m not here to assess blame, but merely to express danger that WrestleMania 43 has around them in Saudi Arabia… Look at what is surrounding Saudi Arabia as a country right now. Iran is nearby with only a waterway (Persian Gulf) and the country of Iraq between them on its Eastern border. Further, they share a Southern border with Yemen which is where the Houthis live. In other words, they are vulnerable from attacks from the South and from the East right now in their country, and that’s scary when you consider they’ve burned through interceptor missiles and other projectiles already. Saudi Arabia also has Israel to its North, while also having Lebanon to its North as well. Both countries have their own Iranian proxy groups in the form of Hamas and Hezbollah.

There’s a ton of danger surrounding Saudi Arabia as they attempt to host WWE’s biggest show during April 2027.

Now, if I were a betting man, I would suspect that WWE WrestleMania 43 will have extra security in place for this event. It’s very likely that the United States military will be on HIGH ALERT for both nights of WrestleMania 43. That’s right, TWO nights of WrestleMania to be on-guard and to ensure that nothing happens. BUT, there needs to be protection of the wrestlers flying into the event, too, and would cost money.

In my opinion, though, there presents TOO MUCH RISK on the WWE performers, any WWE employees, and any Saudi Arabian fan attending the event. Heck, any WWE fan who is able to actually travel to this from other countries, too.

So, MOVE THE DAMN EVENT!

WrestleMania 43 was supposed to be originally held in Nashville, TN. Award it back to them.

WrestleMania 42 was supposed to be originally held in New Orleans, LA but was shifted back to Las Vegas for another price gouging year. Award WM 43 to them.

Sorry, but what’s happening in the Middle East is bigger than ensuring that TKO’s executives receive 8-figure bonuses at year-end.

What you see happening now has been building since the 1940s and especially towards the United States since the 1950s following the coup of their government. Through the late 1970s, the Islamic Revolution happened and installed the religious government that has been in existence ever since and led by the Ayatollahs (3 family members with direct bloodlines) who are seen as religious figures more than leaders of a country. The current Iranian leaders have disliked the United States since their 1953 coup that reinstalled the Shah, while their ongoing rivalry with Israel was made worse with the Shah government installed by the U.S. was very favorable and friends with Israel.

Since the late 1970s, Iran has been not just an outspoken critic of the U.S. or Israel, but also funded proxy groups to help facilitate their viewpoints and to perform various attacks. For example, Hamas, who is funded a reported $100 million annually by Iran, launched attacks on Israel during October 7, 2023 which killed over 1,200 people. This deadly attack response prompted a sharp response by Israel on the Gaza Strip and would set the stage for what we’ve seen during 2025 and 2026. Prior to recent events, Israel and Palestine were always off and on peace deals or ceasefires, but politics or other events have ended those.

In other words, WrestleMania 43 happening in a nearby country is at risk being close to international and religious stuff that has been cooking for over 70 years now and has really escalated with recent attacks and other activity in the Middle East.

Right now, as of 9/22/26, Saudi Arabia has a TRAVEL ADVISORY with the entire country at Level 3, which suggests “Reconsider Travel” with additional areas inside the country considered as Level 4 for “Do not travel”.

Here is what the advisory says, and I am quoting directly from this advisory on 9/22/26:

*****

Reconsider travel to Saudi Arabia due to risk of Iranian drone and missile targeting of American interests, armed conflict, terrorism, exit bans, and local laws regarding social media activity. Some areas have increased risk.

– Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive important updates and alerts from the U.S. embassy or consulate. Enrolling helps the U.S. embassy or consulate contact you or your emergency contact in an emergency.
– Review the Country Security Report for Saudi Arabia.
– Monitor local media for breaking events and be prepared to adjust your plans.
– Many prescription medications need prior approval before bringing into or taking out of Saudi Arabia. Before you travel, register any listed prescriptions at the Controlled Drug System (CDS) website. This approval process may take several weeks.
– Review our information on Terrorism and travel to High-Risk Areas.
– Have a plan to leave in an emergency that does not depend on U.S. government help. – Review our information on Crisis Response and Evacuations.
– Keep travel documents up to date and easy to access.
– Stay aware of your surroundings.
– Stay alert in large crowds or tourist spots.
– Avoid public displays of affection, particularly between same-sex couples.
– Visit Saudi Arabia’s website for information about public decency regulations.
– Do not carry, produce, use, or distribute illegal drugs in Saudi Arabia.
– Review local laws and conditions before traveling, including our Saudi Arabia country information on arrests.
– Review our information for Gay and Lesbian travelers.
– Before you travel, delete any sensitive photos, comments, or past content that might be seen as controversial or inappropriate in Saudi Arabia. Do not post, share, or like such content while in Saudi Arabia. Do this for your social media accounts, cameras, laptops, phones, and other accounts and devices.
– Visit our page regarding Arrest or Detention Abroad for more information on what happens when you or a loved one is arrested abroad.
– Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) page for the latest Travel Health Information for Saudi Arabia.
– We highly recommend that you buy travel insurance before you travel. Check with your travel insurance provider about evacuation assistance, medical insurance, and trip cancelation coverage.
– Whether you’re a first time or frequent traveler, use the International Travel Checklist.

*****

Are you freakin’ nuts, TKO and WWE?

Why potentially subject your WWE “independent contractors” and employees to this?

Why cause our hard-earned tax dollars to be spent on protection so that you can make $250 million in Saudi?

Why are you putting your own fans at risk for attending this WWE event in a danger zone?

I have a solution… Each and every TKO executive MUST attend WrestleMania 43 and then have to leave the event using commercial airlines. Yeah, I guarantee this event gets moved immediately!

Read the “potential targets” section again…

Potential targets include:

– Important political, cultural, or religious locations
– Places visited by U.S. citizens and other foreigners (!!!)
– Tourist locations and large gatherings (!!!)
– Hotels, and locations where American citizens gather (!!!)
– Transportation hubs
– Markets and shopping malls
– Entertainment venues (!!!)
– Government facilities

Majority of that SCREAMS WrestleMania 43.

You can say whatever you want about the Saudi Arabia government and why WWE (now TKO) is doing business with them. We’ve been arguing that since 2018.

However, this is a discussion about SAFETY because Saudi Arabia has had missiles shot at them and drones attacking them, while having bases and critical energy infrastructure destroyed.

And this issue won’t heal itself overnight, and is in fact becoming worse. These Houthi attacks are escalating and hitting that East-West pipeline is why you’re paying over $4 per gallon unleaded and why truckers are paying a record $6+ per gallon for diesel. Anywhere something gets shipped by truck, they’ll increase their prices too.

Move the damn event!!!

WWE wrestlers need to realize that they have leverage right now. Want us to wrestle in Saudi Arabia? PAY US MORE while ensuring our SAFETY for this event.

And if you were predicting Rock vs. Roman Reigns to finally happen at this event? There’s NO WAY that the TKO would send one of its Board of Directors to this event. However, if TKO wants to make a statement, then boldly have the Rock wrestle and perform there…

Mr. Tito Column Archive @ NoDQ

The post MR. TITO: WWE and TKO Should Seriously Consider MOVING WrestleMania 43 Away from Saudi Arabia Due to Safety Concerns appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.