In this episode of World Wrestling Events, the hosts dive headfirst into the chaos of WrestleMania season and unpack one of the most volatile weeks on the wrestling calendar. With the road to WrestleMania heating up, they explore how every promo, match announcement, and backstage decision gets magnified under the spotlight, setting the stage for a wide-ranging conversation that blends fan passion with smart wrestling analysis. The episode opens with the show’s signature energy, a sponsor mention for WorldWrestlingEvents.com and BetOnline, and a quick reminder to keep gambling fun and recreational before moving into the main discussion.

A major focus of the episode is the business side of WWE, especially the Elimination Chamber cycle and why ticket sales may be softer than expected despite strong fan interest in the product. The hosts break down the “Jeff Jarrett theory” of market saturation, arguing that WWE may be overworking certain cities and creating wallet fatigue by returning too often with expensive live events. They also discuss the controversy around a reported blackout-style policy affecting local viewing access, and why that kind of strategy can backfire in the streaming era by frustrating fans who already pay for access. From there, the conversation shifts into WWE’s broader financial picture, including how Wall Street and the company’s stock performance during WrestleMania season can influence creative decisions, leading to safer booking and fewer risky creative swings at the top of the card.

The episode also delivers a strong character and in-ring psychology section. The hosts spotlight Dominic Mysterio, praising his commitment to staying in character (including a viral moment where he met a fan who looked exactly like him) and analyzing what it means for his persona to be carrying the AAA Megatitle as part of a more global wrestling identity. They also break down Liv Morgan’s emotional segment on Raw, discussing the blurred line between performance and real emotion, and why authentic vulnerability can make wrestling storytelling hit harder. Another standout topic is the much-hyped Io Sky vs. Julia match that was promoted and then pulled, which the hosts frame as a deliberate booking tactic to preserve a dream match and increase future demand. They also touch on Jacob Fatu and how real-life physical hardship, like his reported dental issues, adds to his aura as a true monster presence.

On the roster-development side, the hosts cover a packed slate of WWE and AEW stories, including Starboy Charlie’s WWE ID designation, the long-term value of the WWE ID pipeline, and the rebranding of Mike DiVecchio into “Dorian Van Dux,” with a fun but thoughtful discussion about WWE’s naming philosophy and intellectual property strategy. They also discuss a new trademark filing for Romeo Moreno, Timothy Thatcher’s reported role as Evolve GM and what that could mean for a grittier developmental brand identity, plus notes on Tiffany Stratton’s bodybuilding competition plans and the ongoing debate around Gable Steveson’s transition into MMA/UFC-style competition. The AEW portion centers on Swerve Strickland’s reported $100,000 fine and suspension, where the hosts analyze whether it feels like storyline business or legitimate discipline, and why publicizing a huge fine can function as a storytelling tool that raises the stakes of his character’s violence.

00:00:00.000 –> 00:00:01.960 World Wrestling Events, the podcast about everything

00:00:01.960 –> 00:00:04.620 pro wrestling and more. Welcome back to the show,

00:00:04.679 –> 00:00:07.940 everybody. It is Sunday, February 22nd, 2026.

00:00:08.339 –> 00:00:11.759 And we are sitting right in the eye of the storm

00:00:11.759 –> 00:00:13.359 right now. Oh, yeah. We are officially on the

00:00:13.359 –> 00:00:15.640 road to WrestleMania. The big sign is up. The

00:00:15.640 –> 00:00:18.719 pyro is louder. And, you know, the Internet is

00:00:18.719 –> 00:00:21.379 absolutely losing its collective mind. It’s a

00:00:21.379 –> 00:00:23.989 chaotic, beautiful… time to be a wrestling

00:00:23.989 –> 00:00:26.250 fan it really is the season of scrutiny isn’t

00:00:26.250 –> 00:00:28.410 it i mean the weeks between the royal rumble

00:00:28.410 –> 00:00:30.350 and wrestlemania that’s just the most volatile

00:00:30.350 –> 00:00:32.770 period of the entire calendar year everything

00:00:32.770 –> 00:00:35.450 is under a microscope exactly every promo gets

00:00:35.450 –> 00:00:38.130 dissected every single booking decision is magnified

00:00:38.130 –> 00:00:41.369 and the tension like both on screen and behind

00:00:41.369 –> 00:00:44.530 the scenes it is just at an all -time high right

00:00:44.530 –> 00:00:46.350 now it feels heavier this year though doesn’t

00:00:46.350 –> 00:00:49.060 it yeah like we have a mountain of news to climb

00:00:49.060 –> 00:00:52.280 today. We are talking about roster moves that

00:00:52.280 –> 00:00:55.479 make absolutely no sense until you really squint

00:00:55.479 –> 00:00:57.979 at them. We’ve got legal situations involving

00:00:57.979 –> 00:01:01.520 massive fines and some booking decisions that

00:01:01.520 –> 00:01:03.320 have the fan base split right down the middle.

00:01:03.420 –> 00:01:06.239 We definitely have a lot to unpack today. But

00:01:06.239 –> 00:01:08.219 before we get into the weeds of the business,

00:01:08.480 –> 00:01:12.000 we have to pay the bills. And we are very excited

00:01:12.000 –> 00:01:15.180 about who is helping us do that today. This show

00:01:15.180 –> 00:01:18.200 is sponsored by worldwrestlingevents .com and

00:01:18.200 –> 00:01:21.060 BetOnline. A very, very important partner for

00:01:21.060 –> 00:01:22.500 us. If you’ve been listening to the show for

00:01:22.500 –> 00:01:26.180 a while, you know BetOnline is a trusted, secure…

00:01:26.459 –> 00:01:29.400 platform. They accept U .S. players, which is

00:01:29.400 –> 00:01:31.620 obviously a huge factor. And they cover the entire

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00:01:36.379 –> 00:01:38.879 the NBA finals anymore. You can actually get

00:01:38.879 –> 00:01:41.299 in on the action for wrestling events now. Which

00:01:41.299 –> 00:01:43.819 is wild. It is. We just came off the rumble.

00:01:43.859 –> 00:01:45.780 We are looking ahead to the chamber in Mania.

00:01:45.819 –> 00:01:48.239 And BetOnline is the place to be if you want

00:01:48.239 –> 00:01:49.859 to add some stakes to the drama. Absolutely.

00:01:50.700 –> 00:01:53.140 But, as always, a quick reminder that gambling

00:01:53.140 –> 00:01:56.260 should be fun and recreational. You know, know

00:01:56.260 –> 00:01:58.359 your limits. However, if you are ready to get

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00:02:27.990 –> 00:02:31.129 worldwrestlingevents .com and get started. Big

00:02:31.129 –> 00:02:33.490 thank you to our partners. So where do we even

00:02:33.490 –> 00:02:36.659 begin today? Let’s look at the roadmap. We’re

00:02:36.659 –> 00:02:38.699 going to be dissecting the fallout from the Elimination

00:02:38.699 –> 00:02:41.719 Chamber cycle, specifically why the ticket sales

00:02:41.719 –> 00:02:43.780 are looking the way they are. Very interesting

00:02:43.780 –> 00:02:46.740 data there. Yeah. And then we have a major roster

00:02:46.740 –> 00:02:50.120 move involving a certain technical wizard taking

00:02:50.120 –> 00:02:52.780 on a general manager role. That is a fascinating

00:02:52.780 –> 00:02:54.840 development for the developmental system, for

00:02:54.840 –> 00:02:57.560 sure. We’ve also got Dominic Mysterio going global

00:02:57.560 –> 00:02:59.939 and meeting his doppelganger, which is just hilarious.

00:03:00.259 –> 00:03:02.520 Yeah. We need to break down some heavy disciplinary

00:03:02.520 –> 00:03:05.120 stuff happening over in AEW involving Swerve

00:03:05.120 –> 00:03:07.120 Strickland. And then we really need to talk about

00:03:07.120 –> 00:03:11.139 why WWE pulls massive matches from free TV at

00:03:11.139 –> 00:03:13.240 the very last second. The business of booking.

00:03:13.400 –> 00:03:16.240 It’s a highly complex machine. So let’s jump

00:03:16.240 –> 00:03:19.000 right into segment one, the business of booking.

00:03:19.199 –> 00:03:21.139 I want to start with the Elimination Chamber.

00:03:21.419 –> 00:03:23.939 Now, usually this event is a total layup. Oh,

00:03:23.939 –> 00:03:26.360 yeah, it sells itself. Right. Big steel structure,

00:03:26.560 –> 00:03:29.020 massive implications for mania, people getting

00:03:29.020 –> 00:03:31.699 thrown through plexiglass pods. But the discourse

00:03:31.699 –> 00:03:34.020 this week hasn’t really been about the match

00:03:34.020 –> 00:03:36.939 quality. It’s been about the seats. That’s right.

00:03:37.039 –> 00:03:39.360 We’re looking at the data regarding ticket sales

00:03:39.360 –> 00:03:41.979 for this elimination chamber cycle. And frankly,

00:03:42.219 –> 00:03:44.560 they haven’t met the internal projections. It’s

00:03:44.560 –> 00:03:46.879 softer than expected. Now, the easy reaction

00:03:46.879 –> 00:03:49.180 for the Internet to have is to say, oh, the product

00:03:49.180 –> 00:03:53.270 is cold. Which is lazy. Exactly. Because looking

00:03:53.270 –> 00:03:55.849 at the TV ratings, the product isn’t cold at

00:03:55.849 –> 00:03:58.750 all. Viewership is great. Yeah. So what is going

00:03:58.750 –> 00:04:00.650 on here? You flagged something in our notes today

00:04:00.650 –> 00:04:03.310 called the Jeff Jarrett theory. Right. So this

00:04:03.310 –> 00:04:04.949 is something that requires a bit of a history

00:04:04.949 –> 00:04:07.590 lesson for the listeners. This refers to Jeff

00:04:07.590 –> 00:04:10.129 Jarrett, the promoter, specifically looking back

00:04:10.129 –> 00:04:13.629 at the way his father, Jerry Jarrett, ran the

00:04:13.629 –> 00:04:15.969 old Memphis and Tennessee territories decades

00:04:15.969 –> 00:04:18.750 ago. Their whole philosophy was centered around

00:04:18.750 –> 00:04:21.550 this concept of market burnout. Is that just

00:04:21.550 –> 00:04:24.089 like a fancy economic way of saying people get

00:04:24.089 –> 00:04:26.550 sick of seeing you? In an economic sense, yes,

00:04:26.769 –> 00:04:29.389 basically. It’s the law of diminishing marginal

00:04:29.389 –> 00:04:32.449 utility applied to live wrestling events. The

00:04:32.449 –> 00:04:34.790 theory is that every specific market, let’s say

00:04:34.790 –> 00:04:37.129 a city like St. Louis or Chicago or Columbus,

00:04:37.310 –> 00:04:40.089 has a strict wallet capacity within a rolling

00:04:40.089 –> 00:04:42.829 12 -month period. Okay, so there is a literal

00:04:42.829 –> 00:04:45.850 ceiling to how much cash a city can cough up

00:04:45.850 –> 00:04:48.689 for wrestling tickets. Exactly. In the territory

00:04:48.689 –> 00:04:50.910 days, you could run a town every single week

00:04:50.910 –> 00:04:53.589 because tickets were cheap. You know, five bucks

00:04:53.589 –> 00:04:56.829 to get into the Mid -South Coliseum. But in 2026,

00:04:56.949 –> 00:05:00.589 attending a WWE event is a massive investment.

00:05:00.970 –> 00:05:04.449 We are talking hundreds of dollars for decent

00:05:04.449 –> 00:05:07.829 lower bowl seats, plus 40 bucks for parking,

00:05:08.050 –> 00:05:11.910 plus $40 t -shirts, plus food. It’s literally

00:05:11.910 –> 00:05:14.529 a mortgage payment for a family of four. Precisely.

00:05:16.009 –> 00:05:18.569 The Jeff Jarrett theory argues that if you oversaturate

00:05:18.569 –> 00:05:21.569 a market, you just hit a wall. If WWE runs a

00:05:21.569 –> 00:05:24.009 Monday Night Raw in a city. Right. And then they

00:05:24.009 –> 00:05:25.750 come back three months later for a Friday Night

00:05:25.750 –> 00:05:28.589 Smackdown. And then they send a non -televised

00:05:28.589 –> 00:05:31.509 house show tour through the surrounding suburbs.

00:05:31.730 –> 00:05:34.629 Right. And then after all that, they try to book

00:05:34.629 –> 00:05:37.209 a major premium live event like the Elimination

00:05:37.209 –> 00:05:39.350 Chamber in the exact same building within that

00:05:39.350 –> 00:05:41.970 same calendar year. The fans just tap out. They

00:05:41.970 –> 00:05:43.689 literally don’t have the funds. They have to.

00:05:43.730 –> 00:05:46.569 The wallet fatigue sets in. The average customer

00:05:46.569 –> 00:05:48.209 isn’t thinking, oh, but this is the chamber.

00:05:48.250 –> 00:05:50.189 This is a bigger tier event. Right. They don’t

00:05:50.189 –> 00:05:52.230 care about the tiers. No, the customer is thinking,

00:05:52.269 –> 00:05:55.230 I just spent $400 on this exact same brand three

00:05:55.230 –> 00:05:57.629 months ago. My kids saw Cody Rhodes already.

00:05:57.769 –> 00:06:01.069 We’re good. So this dip in sales isn’t necessarily

00:06:01.069 –> 00:06:03.269 a critique of the storylines or the creative

00:06:03.269 –> 00:06:05.730 direction at all. It’s more of a critique of

00:06:05.730 –> 00:06:08.290 these scheduling logistics. I strongly believe

00:06:08.290 –> 00:06:10.490 so. It suggests that the routing department might

00:06:10.490 –> 00:06:12.649 be overlapping way too aggressively with the

00:06:12.649 –> 00:06:14.790 touring department. You cannot drain the local

00:06:14.790 –> 00:06:17.389 market dry and expect to sell out every single

00:06:17.389 –> 00:06:20.009 time, no matter how hot the main event angle

00:06:20.009 –> 00:06:22.790 is. That makes total sense. Yeah. But here is

00:06:22.790 –> 00:06:25.110 the part that really grinds my gears as a fan.

00:06:25.649 –> 00:06:28.050 While we are talking about these ticket sales,

00:06:28.269 –> 00:06:30.589 we have to talk about this report regarding the

00:06:30.589 –> 00:06:33.449 blackout policy. Yeah, yes. This is a massive

00:06:33.449 –> 00:06:35.269 point of contention right now, and rightly so.

00:06:35.629 –> 00:06:37.509 For the listeners who might not know, explain

00:06:37.509 –> 00:06:40.529 what a blackout is in this context. Because honestly,

00:06:40.750 –> 00:06:43.069 it sounds like something from the NFL in 1995.

00:06:43.670 –> 00:06:47.910 It is very similar to the old NFL model. Historically,

00:06:48.009 –> 00:06:51.170 a blackout policy meant that if a local sports

00:06:51.170 –> 00:06:54.290 event did not sell a certain percentage of the

00:06:54.290 –> 00:06:57.250 tickets, usually it was around 85 percent, the

00:06:57.250 –> 00:06:59.589 local television broadcast would be completely

00:06:59.589 –> 00:07:02.110 blocked in that region. Which is wild to think

00:07:02.110 –> 00:07:04.750 about now. It is. The logic back then was that

00:07:05.019 –> 00:07:07.079 If people knew they couldn’t watch it on their

00:07:07.079 –> 00:07:09.639 local TV station, they would be forced to actually

00:07:09.639 –> 00:07:12.000 go buy a ticket and physically go to the stadium.

00:07:12.240 –> 00:07:14.600 Which feels incredibly punitive. It’s essentially

00:07:14.600 –> 00:07:17.399 like the promotion saying, because your neighbors

00:07:17.399 –> 00:07:18.800 didn’t buy enough tickets, you aren’t allowed

00:07:18.800 –> 00:07:21.230 to watch this thing you enjoy. It is archaic,

00:07:21.230 –> 00:07:23.610 but the report suggests a variation of this is

00:07:23.610 –> 00:07:25.610 affecting the Elimination Chamber viewing in

00:07:25.610 –> 00:07:27.970 the local market. And doing this in 2026, it

00:07:27.970 –> 00:07:29.689 just creates a massive friction point with the

00:07:29.689 –> 00:07:32.110 audience. Because the entire business model has

00:07:32.110 –> 00:07:34.889 changed. WWV isn’t a gate -driven company anymore,

00:07:35.009 –> 00:07:37.110 right? I mean, they are fundamentally a media

00:07:37.110 –> 00:07:39.910 rights company now. That is the crucial distinction

00:07:39.910 –> 00:07:42.750 you have to make. 30 years ago, the money at

00:07:42.750 –> 00:07:44.889 the door, the live gate, that was the lifeblood

00:07:44.889 –> 00:07:47.709 of the entire company. If they didn’t draw, the

00:07:47.709 –> 00:07:50.709 boys didn’t get paid. Today, the billions of

00:07:50.709 –> 00:07:52.629 dollars come from the streaming deals and the

00:07:52.629 –> 00:07:56.230 massive global TV rights. The gate revenue, while

00:07:56.230 –> 00:07:59.269 still important, is just the cherry on top. So

00:07:59.269 –> 00:08:02.149 why alienate the local fan base at all? Like

00:08:02.149 –> 00:08:05.149 if I’m in the city hosting the chamber and I

00:08:05.149 –> 00:08:07.550 just can’t afford a $400 ticket, but I really

00:08:07.550 –> 00:08:09.430 want to watch on the streaming service that I

00:08:09.430 –> 00:08:11.310 already pay a monthly fee for and I get blocked

00:08:11.310 –> 00:08:13.410 out, I’m canceling my subscription immediately.

00:08:13.550 –> 00:08:16.379 And that is the huge risk they run. It really

00:08:16.379 –> 00:08:18.560 highlights a disconnect right now between the

00:08:18.560 –> 00:08:20.860 live events department, whose sole job is to

00:08:20.860 –> 00:08:23.839 put physical bodies in seats, and the media department,

00:08:24.060 –> 00:08:26.600 whose job is to keep streaming subscribers happy

00:08:26.600 –> 00:08:29.259 and engaged. They’re fighting each other. Exactly.

00:08:29.600 –> 00:08:32.700 The CFO wants the gate revenue to look good on

00:08:32.700 –> 00:08:35.059 the quarterly report, but the long -term brand

00:08:35.059 –> 00:08:37.980 health absolutely relies on positive fan sentiment.

00:08:38.360 –> 00:08:40.679 Blocking the locals creates horrible badwill.

00:08:40.879 –> 00:08:42.879 It feels like stepping over dollars to pick up

00:08:42.879 –> 00:08:45.919 dimes, honestly. A very apt metaphor. Speaking

00:08:45.919 –> 00:08:47.399 of dollars, let’s look at the bigger picture

00:08:47.399 –> 00:08:49.779 for a second. We got to look at the WWE stock

00:08:49.779 –> 00:08:54.259 report for February 2026. How is Wall Street

00:08:54.259 –> 00:08:56.779 actually feeling about the road to WrestleMania

00:08:56.779 –> 00:08:59.139 this year? The sentiment over there is confident,

00:08:59.220 –> 00:09:01.519 but there is definitely an undercurrent of caution.

00:09:01.879 –> 00:09:04.919 The stock is holding steady right now. Wall Street

00:09:04.919 –> 00:09:08.840 loves the road to WrestleMania because. Historically,

00:09:08.879 –> 00:09:11.259 it is the highest revenue generating period of

00:09:11.259 –> 00:09:13.419 the year. Everyone buys the video game. Everyone

00:09:13.419 –> 00:09:16.659 buys the new event shirts. Exactly. The merchandise

00:09:16.659 –> 00:09:19.299 numbers go through the roof. But you have to

00:09:19.299 –> 00:09:21.460 remember, it is also the period of highest expense.

00:09:21.740 –> 00:09:24.559 Production costs for WrestleMania are astronomical.

00:09:25.000 –> 00:09:28.299 The sets, the pyro, the stadium rentals, marketing

00:09:28.299 –> 00:09:31.600 costs just skyrocket. So what does that actually

00:09:31.600 –> 00:09:33.919 mean for the product we see on television? Does

00:09:33.919 –> 00:09:36.120 the stock price genuinely change the booking?

00:09:36.519 –> 00:09:38.879 In subtler ways than most fans realize, yes,

00:09:39.019 –> 00:09:41.159 it absolutely does. When corporate confidence

00:09:41.159 –> 00:09:43.679 is high, but the financial stakes are this incredibly

00:09:43.679 –> 00:09:46.539 massive, you tend to see a strategy of risk management

00:09:46.539 –> 00:09:49.500 take over the creative team. Define risk management

00:09:49.500 –> 00:09:52.360 in wrestling terms for me. Safer booking. Ah.

00:09:52.600 –> 00:09:55.990 You protect your investments. You don’t take

00:09:55.990 –> 00:09:58.509 a wild creative swing on an unproven character

00:09:58.509 –> 00:10:01.090 in the main event of WrestleMania if the stock

00:10:01.090 –> 00:10:04.049 price heavily relies on a guaranteed stable engagement

00:10:04.049 –> 00:10:06.649 number. So we get the greatest hits album. We

00:10:06.649 –> 00:10:09.350 get the established stars. We get the rematches

00:10:09.350 –> 00:10:12.389 that have proven analytical data behind them.

00:10:12.470 –> 00:10:14.929 It’s not necessarily about creative laziness,

00:10:14.970 –> 00:10:16.629 which is what the fans usually complain about.

00:10:16.769 –> 00:10:19.450 It’s about fiduciary responsibility. Right. They

00:10:19.450 –> 00:10:21.389 have a legal obligation to the shareholders.

00:10:21.809 –> 00:10:24.570 Yes. They need to guarantee a certain floor of.

00:10:24.620 –> 00:10:26.960 viewership for their broadcast partners. You

00:10:26.960 –> 00:10:28.840 don’t experiment during the Super Bowl. That

00:10:28.840 –> 00:10:32.279 is, man, that is depressing, but completely logical.

00:10:32.460 –> 00:10:34.899 It really explains why we sometimes feel like

00:10:34.899 –> 00:10:37.720 we’re watching a rerun during mania season. They

00:10:37.720 –> 00:10:39.820 are just playing defense with the shareholders.

00:10:40.139 –> 00:10:42.940 Safe bets pay the dividends. It’s business. Well,

00:10:42.980 –> 00:10:44.799 let’s move away from the boardroom and get back

00:10:44.799 –> 00:10:48.700 into the ring. Segment two, in -ring psychology

00:10:48.700 –> 00:10:51.870 and character deep dives. Because while the suits

00:10:51.870 –> 00:10:54.389 are upstairs worrying about stock prices, we’ve

00:10:54.389 –> 00:10:56.330 got some incredible character work happening

00:10:56.330 –> 00:10:58.509 on the ground level. And I have to start with

00:10:58.509 –> 00:11:00.830 the man who I genuinely think is the MVP of the

00:11:00.830 –> 00:11:03.909 last six months, Dominic Mysterio. The evolution

00:11:03.909 –> 00:11:06.309 of Dominic Mysterio is arguably one of the greatest

00:11:06.309 –> 00:11:08.610 success stories of the modern developmental system.

00:11:08.809 –> 00:11:10.570 Did you see the video of him meeting his twin

00:11:10.570 –> 00:11:13.169 this week? I did. It is all over social media

00:11:13.169 –> 00:11:15.870 right now. For those who somehow missed it, Dominic

00:11:15.870 –> 00:11:18.500 is over on an international tour. He’s walking

00:11:18.500 –> 00:11:20.419 through what looks like an airport or maybe a

00:11:20.419 –> 00:11:23.419 hotel lobby, and he runs into a fan that looks

00:11:23.419 –> 00:11:26.620 exactly like him. It was uncanny. I mean, the

00:11:26.620 –> 00:11:29.500 mullet is perfectly styled. The scowl is perfect.

00:11:29.720 –> 00:11:32.879 The weird patchy facial hair is spot on. It’s

00:11:32.879 –> 00:11:35.700 a clone? Absolute clone. Now, here is where I

00:11:35.700 –> 00:11:39.059 really want your take on this. 99 % of wrestlers

00:11:39.059 –> 00:11:42.039 in that specific moment would break character.

00:11:42.570 –> 00:11:44.330 They would laugh, they would high -five the guy,

00:11:44.370 –> 00:11:46.389 they’d take a selfie, and they’d post it on their

00:11:46.389 –> 00:11:48.490 own Instagram saying something like, look at

00:11:48.490 –> 00:11:51.190 this legend. Right. They would prioritize the

00:11:51.190 –> 00:11:54.470 viral, feel -good human moment over the integrity

00:11:54.470 –> 00:11:57.029 of the character. But Dom doesn’t do that. Yeah.

00:11:57.129 –> 00:12:00.289 He looks at this guy with absolute disgust. He

00:12:00.289 –> 00:12:02.309 treats him like he’s an identity thief trying

00:12:02.309 –> 00:12:04.909 to steal his wallet. He stays completely in the

00:12:04.909 –> 00:12:07.590 zone. This is what we in the industry refer to

00:12:07.590 –> 00:12:10.580 as kayfabe 2 .0. Oh, I like that term. In the

00:12:10.580 –> 00:12:12.980 old days, kayfabe meant pretending the fighting

00:12:12.980 –> 00:12:16.080 was completely real, hiding your family, heels,

00:12:16.259 –> 00:12:19.159 and baby faces traveling in separate cars. Today,

00:12:19.419 –> 00:12:21.179 the audience already knows it’s a scripted show.

00:12:21.440 –> 00:12:24.460 So the new kayfabe is entirely about maintaining

00:12:24.460 –> 00:12:26.840 the emotional reality of the character across

00:12:26.840 –> 00:12:29.480 every single platform. So if he’s a jerk on Monday

00:12:29.480 –> 00:12:31.899 Night Raw, he has to be a jerk on his TikTok.

00:12:32.409 –> 00:12:34.889 Exactly. If Dominic Mysterio breaks character

00:12:34.889 –> 00:12:37.809 to laugh at a fan in an airport, he signals to

00:12:37.809 –> 00:12:39.889 the audience that Dominic is just a costume he

00:12:39.889 –> 00:12:43.190 wears for work. By staying in character, by treating

00:12:43.190 –> 00:12:46.230 this doppelganger with sheer arrogance, he reinforces

00:12:46.230 –> 00:12:48.789 the illusion. He invites the audience to just

00:12:48.789 –> 00:12:50.870 keep playing the game with him. It’s so much

00:12:50.870 –> 00:12:53.250 harder to do that than to just be a cool guy

00:12:53.250 –> 00:12:55.860 and take the picture. It requires immense discipline,

00:12:56.039 –> 00:12:58.500 honestly. It creates this meta reality where

00:12:58.500 –> 00:13:00.879 the fans actually respect him more because he

00:13:00.879 –> 00:13:03.820 refuses to wink at them and let them in on the

00:13:03.820 –> 00:13:06.940 joke. And that level of respect is directly translating

00:13:06.940 –> 00:13:09.179 to his booking right now. We have to talk about

00:13:09.179 –> 00:13:11.879 this AAA megatitle defense. This is a very significant

00:13:11.879 –> 00:13:14.360 development for his career. He is defending the

00:13:14.360 –> 00:13:17.960 AAA megatitle. And there is a stipulation attached

00:13:17.960 –> 00:13:20.320 regarding his mask or hair, depending on how

00:13:20.320 –> 00:13:22.389 the angle actually plays out. But just the mere

00:13:22.389 –> 00:13:24.850 fact that WWE is acknowledging the AAA title

00:13:24.850 –> 00:13:26.990 on their programming. It really speaks to the

00:13:26.990 –> 00:13:29.169 globalization of his character. Five or ten years

00:13:29.169 –> 00:13:32.529 ago, WWE lived entirely in a bubble. Nothing

00:13:32.529 –> 00:13:35.149 existed outside of their universe. If you wrestled

00:13:35.149 –> 00:13:37.929 a classic in Mexico or Japan, it basically didn’t

00:13:37.929 –> 00:13:41.070 happen to WWE canon. Right. But now, allowing

00:13:41.070 –> 00:13:43.409 Dominic to carry the AAA belt on television,

00:13:43.830 –> 00:13:47.009 acknowledging that specific lineage, it gives

00:13:47.009 –> 00:13:49.529 him a prestige that goes way beyond just being

00:13:49.529 –> 00:13:52.139 Rey Mysterio’s annoying son. It frames him as

00:13:52.139 –> 00:13:55.080 a legitimate world traveler, like a global champion.

00:13:55.200 –> 00:13:57.200 It makes him feel dangerous. You know, like he

00:13:57.200 –> 00:13:59.240 has conquered territories that the other WWE

00:13:59.240 –> 00:14:02.000 guys haven’t even touched. Exactly. And bringing

00:14:02.000 –> 00:14:04.679 that lucha libre apuesta psychology, the betting

00:14:04.679 –> 00:14:06.500 of something incredibly valuable like your hair,

00:14:06.580 –> 00:14:09.179 your mass, to a mainstream American television

00:14:09.179 –> 00:14:12.480 audience, that is high stakes drama. It’s distinct

00:14:12.480 –> 00:14:14.460 from everything else on the card. I absolutely

00:14:14.460 –> 00:14:16.080 love it. I think he’s doing the best work of

00:14:16.080 –> 00:14:19.500 his entire career right now. Let’s pivot from

00:14:19.500 –> 00:14:21.820 the comedy of Dom to something way more intense.

00:14:22.179 –> 00:14:25.179 Let’s talk about Liv Morgan. A very, very heavy

00:14:25.179 –> 00:14:28.100 segment on Raw this week. She broke down. Tears

00:14:28.100 –> 00:14:30.460 streaming, voice cracking, makeup running everywhere.

00:14:30.879 –> 00:14:32.919 And immediately, the internet debate started

00:14:32.919 –> 00:14:35.820 up. Is she okay? Is this real? Is this a shoot?

00:14:36.000 –> 00:14:38.700 And that ambiguity is exactly the goal of the

00:14:38.700 –> 00:14:41.139 performance. We have some reports now discussing

00:14:41.139 –> 00:14:44.379 the real reason she broke down out there. It

00:14:44.379 –> 00:14:47.860 seems to be a mix of legitimate physical exhaustion,

00:14:48.509 –> 00:14:51.870 pure passion for the business, and just the immense

00:14:51.870 –> 00:14:54.990 pressure of carrying this storyline. But as a

00:14:54.990 –> 00:14:57.330 viewer sitting on the couch, does it really matter

00:14:57.330 –> 00:14:59.909 if it’s real or scripted? That is the golden

00:14:59.909 –> 00:15:02.730 question of performance versus reality in professional

00:15:02.730 –> 00:15:05.929 wrestling. The most successful babyfaces, the

00:15:05.929 –> 00:15:07.789 ones who sell the most merchandise, the ones

00:15:07.789 –> 00:15:10.309 who move the needle on ticket sales, are almost

00:15:10.309 –> 00:15:12.570 always the ones who let their real -life vulnerability

00:15:12.570 –> 00:15:15.169 bleed directly into the script. It’s the difference

00:15:15.169 –> 00:15:18.090 between an actor acting sad and a person actually

00:15:18.090 –> 00:15:20.129 being heartbroken in front of you. Precisely.

00:15:20.169 –> 00:15:22.610 If Liv Morgan goes out there and just recites

00:15:22.610 –> 00:15:24.929 a memorized monologue about being sad, the audience

00:15:24.929 –> 00:15:27.250 tunes out. They check their phones. But if she

00:15:27.250 –> 00:15:30.090 taps into her real frustrations, her long journey

00:15:30.090 –> 00:15:32.490 to the top, the time she was overlooked by management,

00:15:32.870 –> 00:15:35.590 the physical pain she’s in, and lets that genuine

00:15:35.590 –> 00:15:38.350 emotion bubble up to the surface, that connects

00:15:38.350 –> 00:15:40.970 on a deeply visceral level. It really blurs the

00:15:40.970 –> 00:15:42.690 line. You stop watching a fictional character,

00:15:42.809 –> 00:15:44.629 and you just start rooting for the real person

00:15:44.629 –> 00:15:47.879 behind it. And that is exactly when the true

00:15:47.879 –> 00:15:50.519 emotional investment happens. You want to see

00:15:50.519 –> 00:15:53.000 her win the title because you feel like you watched

00:15:53.000 –> 00:15:55.440 her actually suffer for it. Now, it’s a very

00:15:55.440 –> 00:15:58.500 dangerous line to walk for the performer’s mental

00:15:58.500 –> 00:16:01.919 health to constantly mine your real trauma for

00:16:01.919 –> 00:16:04.960 entertainment. But it is incredibly effective

00:16:04.960 –> 00:16:07.340 storytelling. It’s powerful stuff. Now, speaking

00:16:07.340 –> 00:16:10.200 of emotional investment, I was very emotionally

00:16:10.200 –> 00:16:13.700 invested in seeing Io Skye face off against Julia

00:16:13.700 –> 00:16:16.480 on SmackDown this week. Oh, the match that wasn’t?

00:16:16.559 –> 00:16:18.840 Yes. They advertised it. They hyped it up all

00:16:18.840 –> 00:16:21.700 week. Two of the absolute best female wrestlers

00:16:21.700 –> 00:16:23.740 in the world going at it. And then you’re doing.

00:16:24.340 –> 00:16:27.059 Pulled from the card. Why do they do this to

00:16:27.059 –> 00:16:29.059 us? This is a classic case of booking preservation.

00:16:29.379 –> 00:16:31.360 It deeply frustrates the viewer in the moment,

00:16:31.419 –> 00:16:33.639 I know. But it is almost always the right business

00:16:33.639 –> 00:16:35.539 move in the long run. But I wanted to see it.

00:16:35.600 –> 00:16:37.659 I sat through two hours of television for it.

00:16:37.980 –> 00:16:40.279 Think about the actual environment of Friday

00:16:40.279 –> 00:16:42.799 Night Smackdown for a second. It’s a two -hour

00:16:42.799 –> 00:16:45.820 show on network television. You have commercial

00:16:45.820 –> 00:16:48.740 breaks every seven to ten minutes. You have very

00:16:48.740 –> 00:16:52.860 rigid timing cues. Do you really want the first

00:16:52.860 –> 00:16:55.960 ever WWE encounter between Io Sky and Julia,

00:16:56.139 –> 00:16:59.259 a legitimate global dream match, to be chopped

00:16:59.259 –> 00:17:02.019 up by insurance and pizza commercials? When you

00:17:02.019 –> 00:17:04.269 put it that way, no. I want it uninterrupted.

00:17:04.289 –> 00:17:07.089 Exactly. The reports indicate they pulled it

00:17:07.089 –> 00:17:10.190 to protect the matchup itself. Management realized

00:17:10.190 –> 00:17:13.130 that giving it away on free TV with limited time

00:17:13.130 –> 00:17:16.029 and constant interruptions would completely cheapen

00:17:16.029 –> 00:17:18.490 the impact. By snatching it away at the last

00:17:18.490 –> 00:17:20.670 second, they have actually increased the baseline

00:17:20.670 –> 00:17:23.230 anticipation for it. It’s the old absence makes

00:17:23.230 –> 00:17:25.829 the heart grow fonder strategy. It is. Now, when

00:17:25.829 –> 00:17:28.769 they finally do lock up, maybe at a premium live

00:17:28.769 –> 00:17:31.029 event where they can go a solid 20 minutes with

00:17:31.029 –> 00:17:32.930 zero commercial breaks, the audience is going

00:17:32.930 –> 00:17:34.910 to be even hungrier for it. They are banking

00:17:34.910 –> 00:17:37.369 on your current frustration turning into a future

00:17:37.369 –> 00:17:40.710 buy rate. OK, OK. I’m slightly less mad now.

00:17:40.769 –> 00:17:44.569 I’m still impatient, but I get the logic. One

00:17:44.569 –> 00:17:46.710 last note on physicality in this segment before

00:17:46.710 –> 00:17:49.950 we move on. Jacob Fatu. The Samoan werewolf.

00:17:50.250 –> 00:17:52.109 There was a report that dropped this week that

00:17:52.109 –> 00:17:55.970 honestly made my jaw hit the floor. Jacob Fatu

00:17:55.970 –> 00:17:59.630 had 11 teeth removed. 11 teeth. That is just

00:17:59.630 –> 00:18:02.690 a staggering number to comprehend. Why? How does

00:18:02.690 –> 00:18:04.309 that even happen? And what does this say about

00:18:04.309 –> 00:18:07.269 the guy? Well, the exact medical specifics are

00:18:07.269 –> 00:18:09.569 obviously private, but it’s likely a combination

00:18:09.569 –> 00:18:12.390 of severe impact damage over the years on the

00:18:12.390 –> 00:18:14.269 independent circuit and maybe some necessary

00:18:14.269 –> 00:18:17.049 dental reconstruction. But the what it says about

00:18:17.049 –> 00:18:19.630 him part is the absolute key to his aura right

00:18:19.630 –> 00:18:21.789 now. He sounds like a horror movie villain. He

00:18:21.789 –> 00:18:24.250 really does. And in wrestling, locker room lore

00:18:24.250 –> 00:18:26.690 is everything. When the boys in the back and

00:18:26.690 –> 00:18:29.269 the fans online hear that Jacob Fatu had 11 teeth

00:18:29.269 –> 00:18:31.349 pulled from his skull and is still walking around

00:18:31.349 –> 00:18:33.470 taking bumps, looking like an absolute monster,

00:18:33.650 –> 00:18:37.140 likely barely missing any ring time, it builds

00:18:37.140 –> 00:18:39.339 the monster persona better than any scripted

00:18:39.339 –> 00:18:42.460 promo ever could. It’s primal. It reinforces

00:18:42.460 –> 00:18:43.960 that he just isn’t built like the other guys

00:18:43.960 –> 00:18:46.799 on the roster. Exactly. It signals to the audience

00:18:46.799 –> 00:18:49.079 that he has a much higher pain threshold, that

00:18:49.079 –> 00:18:51.420 he is fundamentally built differently. Whether

00:18:51.420 –> 00:18:54.180 it is a strict medical necessity or not, it immediately

00:18:54.180 –> 00:18:56.599 becomes part of the legend. Did you hear Fatou

00:18:56.599 –> 00:18:59.079 ripped his own teeth out? The rumors do the heavy

00:18:59.079 –> 00:19:01.200 lifting for you. Yeah, I certainly wouldn’t want

00:19:01.200 –> 00:19:02.880 to be the dentist telling him he needs to floss

00:19:02.880 –> 00:19:05.700 more often. I don’t think anyone tells Jacob

00:19:05.700 –> 00:19:09.539 Fatu what to do ever. Absolutely not. OK, let’s

00:19:09.539 –> 00:19:11.660 shift gears a bit. We’ve looked at the main roster,

00:19:11.759 –> 00:19:13.799 but there is so much happening in the developmental

00:19:13.799 –> 00:19:17.279 system right now that we need to track. So segment

00:19:17.279 –> 00:19:21.319 three, roster moves, renamings and the future.

00:19:21.500 –> 00:19:23.140 This is my favorite area. This is where we see

00:19:23.140 –> 00:19:25.279 the chess pieces being moved for the next five

00:19:25.279 –> 00:19:27.640 years of the business. First up, let’s talk about

00:19:27.640 –> 00:19:31.000 the WWE ID program. We have a brand new signing

00:19:31.000 –> 00:19:34.099 to talk about. Starboy Charlie. A very, very

00:19:34.099 –> 00:19:36.380 exciting talent. For those listeners who don’t

00:19:36.380 –> 00:19:39.380 follow the hardcore indie scene closely, what

00:19:39.380 –> 00:19:42.940 is the significance of this kid? And what exactly

00:19:42.940 –> 00:19:47.000 is the WWE ID program? So Starboy Charlie is

00:19:47.000 –> 00:19:50.359 a young, hyper -athletic, very modern, independent

00:19:50.359 –> 00:19:52.599 wrestler. He’s had a great run in places like

00:19:52.599 –> 00:19:55.680 GCW, incredible speed, great technique. But the

00:19:55.680 –> 00:19:58.700 bigger story here is the actual mechanism of

00:19:58.700 –> 00:20:02.259 his signing. Being given a WWE ID is not the

00:20:02.259 –> 00:20:05.079 same thing as being signed to an NXT contract.

00:20:05.420 –> 00:20:07.500 Right. He’s not packing his bags and moving to

00:20:07.500 –> 00:20:10.740 Orlando immediately, is he? No, not at all. WWE

00:20:10.740 –> 00:20:13.920 ID is a pipeline system. It’s a formal designation.

00:20:13.980 –> 00:20:16.700 It allows top tier indie talent to officially

00:20:16.700 –> 00:20:20.000 get on the WWE radar, receive some medical support,

00:20:20.220 –> 00:20:22.240 maybe get some coaching access or facility use.

00:20:22.359 –> 00:20:24.380 But they continue to work their independent dates.

00:20:24.559 –> 00:20:25.940 This is kind of like being tagged or drafted

00:20:25.940 –> 00:20:28.480 by the scouts, but you stay in college. Exactly

00:20:28.480 –> 00:20:30.880 like that. It deeply benefits the wrestler because

00:20:30.880 –> 00:20:33.059 their booking fee on the indies immediately goes

00:20:33.059 –> 00:20:36.079 up. Promoters can now advertise a WWE ID talent

00:20:36.079 –> 00:20:38.970 on their flyers. And it benefits WWE because

00:20:38.970 –> 00:20:41.349 they lock in a relationship with a hot prospect

00:20:41.349 –> 00:20:43.769 without taking on the full financial cost of

00:20:43.769 –> 00:20:45.990 a main roster contract yet. It’s a developmental

00:20:45.990 –> 00:20:49.369 bridge. It’s a really smart system. But once

00:20:49.369 –> 00:20:51.650 you do cross that bridge and get fully integrated

00:20:51.650 –> 00:20:55.210 into the WWE system, things usually change. Specifically,

00:20:55.430 –> 00:20:58.569 your name. We have to talk about Mike DiVecchio.

00:20:58.690 –> 00:21:01.619 Oh, boy. A massive powerhouse from the European

00:21:01.619 –> 00:21:03.839 scene. He has an incredible look. He does. But

00:21:03.839 –> 00:21:06.279 he is now officially going by the name Dorian

00:21:06.279 –> 00:21:09.539 Van Dux. Dorian Van Dux. Look, I have to be completely

00:21:09.539 –> 00:21:12.539 honest with you here. It sounds like the main

00:21:12.539 –> 00:21:15.799 villain in a straight -to -DVD vampire movie

00:21:15.799 –> 00:21:19.200 from 2004. I’m Dorian Van Dux, and I have come

00:21:19.200 –> 00:21:21.839 to drink your blood. It certainly has a very

00:21:21.839 –> 00:21:24.740 theatrical, almost gothic quality to it. But

00:21:24.740 –> 00:21:27.859 this really highlights the overarching WWE philosophy

00:21:27.859 –> 00:21:30.420 regarding intellectual property. But why do they

00:21:30.420 –> 00:21:32.299 do this? Mike DiBecchio is a really cool name.

00:21:32.380 –> 00:21:33.859 It sounds like a tough guy from the neighborhood

00:21:33.859 –> 00:21:35.500 who’s going to break your legs. It does sound

00:21:35.500 –> 00:21:38.500 tough, but… WWE doesn’t own the name Mike DiVecchio.

00:21:38.640 –> 00:21:41.220 Mike owns that name. If he builds up his brand

00:21:41.220 –> 00:21:43.740 on NXT and then his contract expires and he leaves,

00:21:43.900 –> 00:21:46.599 he takes that brand equity with him over to AEW

00:21:46.599 –> 00:21:50.500 or New Japan. WWE owns Dorian Van Dux. It’s completely

00:21:50.500 –> 00:21:52.779 theirs. So if they’re going to put a million

00:21:52.779 –> 00:21:55.240 dollars of marketing and TV time behind him,

00:21:55.299 –> 00:21:58.380 they want to own the asset outright. It is purely

00:21:58.380 –> 00:22:01.299 a calculated business decision. If Dorian Van

00:22:01.299 –> 00:22:03.940 Dux becomes a WrestleMania main eventer, sells

00:22:03.940 –> 00:22:06.339 millions in action figures, and is featured in

00:22:06.339 –> 00:22:09.660 the 2K video games, WWE holds that trademark

00:22:09.660 –> 00:22:12.099 forever. They want a name that is completely

00:22:12.099 –> 00:22:14.539 unique and legally protectable. It’s going to

00:22:14.539 –> 00:22:16.380 take some getting used to. I’ll give him a fair

00:22:16.380 –> 00:22:19.200 chance in the ring, but man, Dorian Van Dux.

00:22:19.299 –> 00:22:22.619 Wow. Hey, we’ve seen stranger names become legendary.

00:22:22.740 –> 00:22:24.819 Remember when they named a guy Hunter Hearst

00:22:24.819 –> 00:22:28.059 Helmsley? True, true. Now, speaking of names,

00:22:28.220 –> 00:22:31.059 we also saw a new trademark filing this week

00:22:31.059 –> 00:22:34.220 for Romeo Moreno. Yes, we did. Any idea who this

00:22:34.220 –> 00:22:36.279 is? Speculation online is running absolutely

00:22:36.279 –> 00:22:38.940 wild. The surname Moreno obviously suggests a

00:22:38.940 –> 00:22:41.920 Latin heritage. And Romeo strongly implies a

00:22:41.920 –> 00:22:44.160 lover character, maybe a suave romantic heel

00:22:44.160 –> 00:22:46.259 type. I’m immediately picturing a rose in the

00:22:46.259 –> 00:22:48.730 mouth. Some salsa dancing on the entrance ramp.

00:22:48.869 –> 00:22:51.589 Yeah. All the classic tropes. It is a classic

00:22:51.589 –> 00:22:54.049 wrestling trope because, historically, it just

00:22:54.049 –> 00:22:57.210 works. It generates massive heat from male fans.

00:22:57.730 –> 00:23:00.250 Whether this is a sudden repackaging for someone

00:23:00.250 –> 00:23:03.410 currently floundering in NXT or a name for a

00:23:03.410 –> 00:23:05.430 brand new signing from Mexico, we just don’t

00:23:05.430 –> 00:23:07.869 know yet. But definitely keep an eye on how that

00:23:07.869 –> 00:23:11.029 name gets deployed. Will do. Now, this next piece

00:23:11.029 –> 00:23:12.950 of news is the one that really caught my attention.

00:23:13.470 –> 00:23:16.480 Timothy Thatcher. Cuesless Timmy. The man himself.

00:23:16.839 –> 00:23:19.140 The man literally looks like he was carved out

00:23:19.140 –> 00:23:21.859 of a block of granite. Reports are now saying

00:23:21.859 –> 00:23:24.160 he is scheduled to be the next general manager

00:23:24.160 –> 00:23:27.140 of Evolve. This is a brilliant, brilliant casting

00:23:27.140 –> 00:23:30.079 decision by management. First, clarify what Evolve

00:23:30.079 –> 00:23:33.579 actually is in the year 2026. Because older fans

00:23:33.579 –> 00:23:36.140 remember it as an indie promotion run by Gabe

00:23:36.140 –> 00:23:39.220 Sapolsky. Right. WWE purchased the Evolve brand

00:23:39.220 –> 00:23:42.259 in its tape library years ago. Now, in 2026,

00:23:42.400 –> 00:23:44.740 it functions as a very specific tier of their

00:23:44.740 –> 00:23:47.220 developmental system. Think of it as the bridge

00:23:47.220 –> 00:23:49.460 between the raw day one recruits at the Performance

00:23:49.460 –> 00:23:52.519 Center and the polished, highly produced TV product

00:23:52.519 –> 00:23:55.579 of NXT. It’s the finishing school for wrestlers.

00:23:55.720 –> 00:23:57.339 And having Timothy Satcher run that finishing

00:23:57.339 –> 00:23:59.920 school. It sets a very definitive tone for the

00:23:59.920 –> 00:24:03.150 brand. Thatcher’s style is heavily rooted in

00:24:03.150 –> 00:24:06.269 the catchpoint philosophy. It is incredibly serious,

00:24:06.509 –> 00:24:09.390 grounded, painful, submission -based wrestling.

00:24:09.849 –> 00:24:12.670 He is the absolute antithesis of the modern sports

00:24:12.670 –> 00:24:14.769 entertainer who does choreographed dances to

00:24:14.769 –> 00:24:16.809 the ring. He is not going to tolerate any nonsense

00:24:16.809 –> 00:24:19.789 from the younger guys. None at all. By installing

00:24:19.789 –> 00:24:23.210 him as the general manager, the strict uncompromising

00:24:23.210 –> 00:24:25.670 authority figure, you are actively telling the

00:24:25.670 –> 00:24:28.289 audience in the talent pool Evolve is about the

00:24:28.289 –> 00:24:30.549 pure wrestling. It gives the brand a gritty,

00:24:30.609 –> 00:24:33.849 realistic identity. I can clearly see a segment

00:24:33.849 –> 00:24:35.670 where he’s staring down two guys arguing backstage

00:24:35.670 –> 00:24:37.630 and he just whispers, get in the ring or get

00:24:37.630 –> 00:24:39.769 out of my building. It fits his aura perfectly.

00:24:40.009 –> 00:24:42.690 I really love that direction for Evolve. Just

00:24:42.690 –> 00:24:44.410 a couple other roster notes before we move on

00:24:44.410 –> 00:24:47.269 to the other side of the fence. Tiffany Stratton,

00:24:47.349 –> 00:24:49.890 she made an announcement about entering a legitimate

00:24:49.890 –> 00:24:52.390 bodybuilding competition. This is quite interesting.

00:24:52.470 –> 00:24:55.210 It really speaks to her crossover appeal. Tiffany

00:24:55.210 –> 00:24:58.430 is already an incredible athlete, a world -class

00:24:58.430 –> 00:25:01.630 gymnast before wrestling. But bodybuilding requires

00:25:01.630 –> 00:25:04.670 a level of dietary and physical discipline that

00:25:04.670 –> 00:25:07.150 is just insane, even for a professional wrestler.

00:25:07.450 –> 00:25:09.230 She looks like a million bucks every time she

00:25:09.230 –> 00:25:11.750 steps out there. She does. And for WWE, this

00:25:11.750 –> 00:25:14.769 is just fantastic PR. It puts their homegrown

00:25:14.769 –> 00:25:17.529 star in a totally different world, featured in

00:25:17.529 –> 00:25:19.950 different fitness magazines and websites. It

00:25:19.950 –> 00:25:22.380 showcases the… superstar aspect of the talent

00:25:22.380 –> 00:25:24.819 beyond just taking bumps. And then we look at

00:25:24.819 –> 00:25:27.740 the other side of the athletic coin. Gable Steveson.

00:25:27.759 –> 00:25:30.319 The Gable Steveson debate just continues to rage

00:25:30.319 –> 00:25:33.440 on. The question is, is he UFC ready? Because

00:25:33.440 –> 00:25:35.819 fans are really split on this. He had a recent

00:25:35.819 –> 00:25:37.720 performance, I think it was a grappling transition

00:25:37.720 –> 00:25:40.619 fight or a jiu -jitsu showcase, and the reviews

00:25:40.619 –> 00:25:43.359 online were very mixed. It is a harsh reminder

00:25:43.359 –> 00:25:46.539 that an elite athletic pedigree does not guarantee

00:25:46.539 –> 00:25:49.059 instant success in combat sports or pro wrestling.

00:25:49.720 –> 00:25:52.940 Gable has the Olympic gold medal. He has unbelievable

00:25:52.940 –> 00:25:56.319 raw power. But the transition from amateur wrestling

00:25:56.319 –> 00:25:58.579 to pro wrestling didn’t quite click the way they

00:25:58.579 –> 00:26:01.559 hoped. And the transition to MMA is a whole different

00:26:01.559 –> 00:26:04.480 beast involving striking defense and complex

00:26:04.480 –> 00:26:07.039 submission defense. He’s kind of stuck in this

00:26:07.039 –> 00:26:09.519 weird athletic limbo right now. He really is.

00:26:09.819 –> 00:26:12.140 The fans are highly critical because they see

00:26:12.140 –> 00:26:15.039 the Brock Lesnar level potential. But the actual

00:26:15.039 –> 00:26:17.680 application in the cage hasn’t matched the hype

00:26:17.680 –> 00:26:20.200 yet. He has to learn an entirely new game from

00:26:20.200 –> 00:26:22.319 scratch, and that takes years of getting punched

00:26:22.319 –> 00:26:24.839 in the face. It’s a tough road to walk. All right,

00:26:24.859 –> 00:26:26.819 let’s cross the aisle. Segment four. We need

00:26:26.819 –> 00:26:29.160 to talk about AEW and some big international

00:26:29.160 –> 00:26:32.160 news. And the biggest story coming out of Jacksonville

00:26:32.160 –> 00:26:35.779 involves Swerve Strickland. The mogul. He has

00:26:35.779 –> 00:26:39.039 officially been fined $100 ,000 and suspended

00:26:39.039 –> 00:26:41.640 by the company. That is a massive eye -catching

00:26:41.640 –> 00:26:44.599 number. $100 ,000. I mean, that’s a small house

00:26:44.599 –> 00:26:46.480 in some parts of the country. That’s a luxury

00:26:46.480 –> 00:26:49.549 sports car. It is. And naturally, the first question

00:26:49.549 –> 00:26:51.549 on everyone’s mind in the wrestling bubble is

00:26:51.549 –> 00:26:54.990 the classic. Is this a work or a shoot? So what

00:26:54.990 –> 00:26:57.750 is your read on this? Because that is a whole

00:26:57.750 –> 00:27:00.269 lot of real money to lose if it’s a legitimate

00:27:00.269 –> 00:27:03.490 shoot fine. When you see a number like $100 ,000

00:27:03.490 –> 00:27:06.049 specifically publicized in a press release or

00:27:06.049 –> 00:27:09.569 on television, my instinct leans very heavily

00:27:09.569 –> 00:27:12.690 toward it being a work, a storyline element.

00:27:13.099 –> 00:27:15.299 Why is that? Because in legitimate corporate

00:27:15.299 –> 00:27:18.200 governance, real disciplinary fines are almost

00:27:18.200 –> 00:27:21.059 always handled internally and quietly. They are

00:27:21.059 –> 00:27:24.160 often subject to HR policies, collective bargaining,

00:27:24.359 –> 00:27:27.099 if applicable, or legal caps. You very rarely

00:27:27.099 –> 00:27:29.099 see a major company issue a public statement

00:27:29.099 –> 00:27:32.259 saying we find John Doe exactly 100 grand unless

00:27:32.259 –> 00:27:34.160 they are actively trying to sell a narrative

00:27:34.160 –> 00:27:36.019 to the public. So the dollar amount is just a

00:27:36.019 –> 00:27:38.559 prop for the story. Exactly. By stating that

00:27:38.559 –> 00:27:40.940 specific massive amount, they are selling the

00:27:40.940 –> 00:27:42.720 extreme severity of his actions in the ring.

00:27:43.019 –> 00:27:45.339 They’re telling the audience at home Swerve is

00:27:45.339 –> 00:27:47.779 so dangerous, so violently out of control right

00:27:47.779 –> 00:27:50.140 now that he is literally costing himself a fortune

00:27:50.140 –> 00:27:53.279 just to hurt his enemies. It monetizes his aggression.

00:27:54.299 –> 00:27:56.740 It essentially tells me that his pure hatred

00:27:56.740 –> 00:28:00.220 for his opponent is worth more to him than financial

00:28:00.220 –> 00:28:02.500 security. That is a brilliant way to put it.

00:28:02.539 –> 00:28:05.039 It’s a cost -benefit analysis of kayfabe hatred.

00:28:05.380 –> 00:28:07.720 And logistically, behind the scenes, it serves

00:28:07.720 –> 00:28:10.480 a very practical purpose, too. The write -off.

00:28:10.599 –> 00:28:13.599 The write -off. Swerve has been going incredibly

00:28:13.599 –> 00:28:17.400 hard for over a year. His in -ring style is physically

00:28:17.400 –> 00:28:20.640 demanding. A storyline suspension allows him

00:28:20.640 –> 00:28:24.180 to go home, heal his battered body, maybe film

00:28:24.180 –> 00:28:26.880 an outside media project, and most crucially,

00:28:27.000 –> 00:28:29.519 let the fans actually miss seeing him on television.

00:28:29.799 –> 00:28:32.160 Because when he comes back, broke and angry.

00:28:32.259 –> 00:28:34.480 That is an instant main event angle waiting to

00:28:34.480 –> 00:28:37.160 happen. He returns with an absolute vengeance.

00:28:37.519 –> 00:28:41.299 I love the psychology of that. absolutely thrive

00:28:41.299 –> 00:28:45.339 on being hated mjf the aew world champion our

00:28:45.339 –> 00:28:47.160 favorite scumbag there was an incident at an

00:28:47.160 –> 00:28:49.359 indie match he was working recently the crowd

00:28:49.359 –> 00:28:51.700 started chanting well we can’t say it here but

00:28:51.700 –> 00:28:54.420 let’s call it the f ice chant a very derogatory

00:28:54.420 –> 00:28:57.519 personal chant involving a certain icy substance

00:28:57.519 –> 00:29:00.819 right a very hostile unscripted environment in

00:29:00.819 –> 00:29:03.339 mjf instead of getting flustered or legitimately

00:29:03.339 –> 00:29:06.599 angry he just seemed to feed on it This is Heel

00:29:06.599 –> 00:29:09.779 Psychology 101, but MJF basically has a PhD in

00:29:09.779 –> 00:29:12.319 it at this point. He is a master conductor of

00:29:12.319 –> 00:29:15.799 crowds. A conductor of hate. Yes. Think about

00:29:15.799 –> 00:29:19.220 it. Most wrestlers today, deep down, really want

00:29:19.220 –> 00:29:21.480 to be the cool heel. They want to do flashy moves

00:29:21.480 –> 00:29:23.420 and they want the fans to secretly love them

00:29:23.420 –> 00:29:26.359 and buy their black t -shirts. MJF genuinely

00:29:26.359 –> 00:29:29.339 wants you to despise him. When the crowd gets

00:29:29.339 –> 00:29:31.759 nasty, when they start chanting deeply personal

00:29:31.759 –> 00:29:33.759 things that would completely rattle a lesser

00:29:33.759 –> 00:29:36.750 performer, he smiles. because he knows he has

00:29:36.750 –> 00:29:38.730 them in the palm of his hand. He manipulates

00:29:38.730 –> 00:29:41.130 that raw negative energy. He does. He takes that

00:29:41.130 –> 00:29:43.269 heat, that genuine visceral dislike from the

00:29:43.269 –> 00:29:45.589 building, and he expertly transfers it to his

00:29:45.589 –> 00:29:48.470 opponent. If the crowd hates MJF that much, they

00:29:48.470 –> 00:29:51.029 will loudly cheer for absolutely anyone who steps

00:29:51.029 –> 00:29:53.329 up and punches him in the face. That is his core

00:29:53.329 –> 00:29:55.730 job description. He makes the baby face look

00:29:55.730 –> 00:29:58.130 like a conquering hero just by being the ultimate

00:29:58.130 –> 00:30:00.210 irredeemable villain. It’s brilliant to watch

00:30:00.210 –> 00:30:02.750 him work. Now, on a slightly more somber note

00:30:02.750 –> 00:30:05.029 regarding AEW, let’s talk about Britt Baker.

00:30:05.850 –> 00:30:08.549 There’s been a real update on her future in the

00:30:08.549 –> 00:30:11.750 ring. We all know she’s a dentist. A real -life

00:30:11.750 –> 00:30:14.509 practicing dentist with her own clinic. And the

00:30:14.509 –> 00:30:17.109 serious conversation now is about her wrestling

00:30:17.109 –> 00:30:19.690 future versus her long -term medical career.

00:30:20.210 –> 00:30:22.910 This situation really highlights the stark reality

00:30:22.910 –> 00:30:25.690 of part -time status in modern professional wrestling.

00:30:26.109 –> 00:30:28.509 Britt Baker carried that women’s division on

00:30:28.509 –> 00:30:31.890 her back for a long time. But dentistry is a

00:30:31.890 –> 00:30:34.549 highly demanding precision -based profession.

00:30:35.240 –> 00:30:37.440 You have patients in pain. You have strict appointments.

00:30:38.269 –> 00:30:40.289 You can’t just cancel on a patient needing a

00:30:40.289 –> 00:30:41.930 root canal because you suddenly have a booked

00:30:41.930 –> 00:30:44.349 match in Japan. And more importantly, you can’t

00:30:44.349 –> 00:30:46.589 be a functioning dentist if your hands are shaking

00:30:46.589 –> 00:30:48.210 because you took a bad bump on your neck the

00:30:48.210 –> 00:30:51.190 night before. Exactly. The sheer physical toll

00:30:51.190 –> 00:30:54.089 of wrestling, the cumulative neck issues, the

00:30:54.089 –> 00:30:57.289 back spasms, the concussion risks, directly threatens

00:30:57.289 –> 00:30:59.950 her longevity as a medical professional. I think

00:30:59.950 –> 00:31:01.650 we are currently seeing a natural transition

00:31:01.650 –> 00:31:04.009 where wrestling becomes the occasional special

00:31:04.009 –> 00:31:06.750 attraction for her, and the dental practice rightfully

00:31:06.750 –> 00:31:09.119 becomes the primary. focus. It’s a really smart

00:31:09.119 –> 00:31:12.359 life choice. Always have a backup plan or in

00:31:12.359 –> 00:31:15.579 her specific case, a very lucrative primary plan.

00:31:15.799 –> 00:31:17.380 Absolutely. It’s the healthiest approach you

00:31:17.380 –> 00:31:19.119 could take. OK, let’s move into segment five.

00:31:19.380 –> 00:31:22.680 We call this myths, misconceptions and history.

00:31:23.059 –> 00:31:24.779 We’re going to bust some persistent Internet

00:31:24.779 –> 00:31:26.599 narratives. Always my favorite part of the show.

00:31:26.720 –> 00:31:29.509 Let’s get into it. First, big myth. Retirements

00:31:29.509 –> 00:31:32.390 are sudden. We saw some news leak about the original

00:31:32.390 –> 00:31:35.269 long term plans for AJ Styles eventual retirement

00:31:35.269 –> 00:31:38.829 match. Right. And this leak reveals a massive

00:31:38.829 –> 00:31:42.029 misconception that casual fans hold. Fans often

00:31:42.029 –> 00:31:44.009 think a wrestler just wakes up one Tuesday morning,

00:31:44.269 –> 00:31:46.410 feels their knees aching and says, I’m done.

00:31:46.470 –> 00:31:49.319 I’m retiring today. Or they assume they get injured

00:31:49.319 –> 00:31:51.680 and are just forced to disappear instantly. But

00:31:51.680 –> 00:31:54.160 with a franchise guy like AJ. With a bona fide

00:31:54.160 –> 00:31:57.420 legend like AJ Styles, the sunset is meticulously

00:31:57.420 –> 00:31:59.880 planned out one to two years in advance. Years.

00:32:00.079 –> 00:32:03.380 Plural. Yes. You have to map the entire architecture

00:32:03.380 –> 00:32:07.180 of it out. Who ultimately gets the rub of retiring

00:32:07.180 –> 00:32:10.619 him? Does it elevate a young star or is it a

00:32:10.619 –> 00:32:13.079 respect match against another veteran? Is it

00:32:13.079 –> 00:32:15.359 going to be a year -long retirement tour? Is

00:32:15.359 –> 00:32:18.369 it a final dramatic match at WrestleMania? The

00:32:18.369 –> 00:32:20.769 merchandise team needs months to design and produce

00:32:20.769 –> 00:32:23.230 the commemorative shirts. The creative team needs

00:32:23.230 –> 00:32:25.849 to carefully build the story arc so it peaks

00:32:25.849 –> 00:32:28.549 at the right moment. So when we see a guy standing

00:32:28.549 –> 00:32:30.829 in the ring crying, giving a retirement speech,

00:32:31.049 –> 00:32:33.869 the rough draft of that speech was probably outlined

00:32:33.869 –> 00:32:36.730 18 months ago. The broad trajectory of the exit

00:32:36.730 –> 00:32:39.809 was yes. Unless a catastrophic career -ending

00:32:39.809 –> 00:32:42.890 injury forces their hand unexpectedly, the exit

00:32:42.890 –> 00:32:45.130 from the company is just as heavily scripted

00:32:45.130 –> 00:32:47.650 and produced as their debut entrance. It is a

00:32:47.650 –> 00:32:50.609 carefully curated monument to their entire career.

00:32:50.809 –> 00:32:52.849 That is fascinating to think about. Okay, myth

00:32:52.849 –> 00:32:55.049 number two. Cody Rhodes was always the hero.

00:32:55.230 –> 00:32:57.029 Oh, this is a big one, especially for the newer

00:32:57.029 –> 00:32:59.250 fans who just jumped on board. Yeah, if you started

00:32:59.250 –> 00:33:01.549 watching wrestling in the last three years, Cody

00:33:01.549 –> 00:33:04.309 is essentially Captain America. He kisses the

00:33:04.309 –> 00:33:06.970 babies in the front row. He gives away his weightlifting

00:33:06.970 –> 00:33:10.250 belt to a crying kid. He fights the evil bloodline.

00:33:10.410 –> 00:33:13.589 He is the embodiment of pure goodness. But you

00:33:13.589 –> 00:33:16.309 cannot fully understand the hero without understanding

00:33:16.309 –> 00:33:19.250 the villain he used to be. We have to talk about

00:33:19.250 –> 00:33:22.609 his star turn. He was a spectacular heel. He

00:33:22.609 –> 00:33:25.759 was a fantastic, deeply annoying heel. Think

00:33:25.759 –> 00:33:27.880 back to the dashing Cody Rhodes era, checking

00:33:27.880 –> 00:33:29.819 his face in the mirror, handing out grooming

00:33:29.819 –> 00:33:32.799 tips to ugly fans. Or his run as the corporate

00:33:32.799 –> 00:33:35.779 suit EVP in early AEW where the crowds turned

00:33:35.779 –> 00:33:38.099 on him. Why does all that past baggage matter

00:33:38.099 –> 00:33:41.500 for his current mega BB face run? Because the

00:33:41.500 –> 00:33:43.480 core lesson of wrestling psychology is that you

00:33:43.480 –> 00:33:45.599 have to learn to be a truly hated villain to

00:33:45.599 –> 00:33:47.759 fully understand how to get universally cheered.

00:33:48.250 –> 00:33:50.549 Cody knows exactly what specific buttons to push

00:33:50.549 –> 00:33:53.309 to make people boo him. Therefore, he knows exactly

00:33:53.309 –> 00:33:55.450 what behaviors to avoid to keep them cheering.

00:33:55.650 –> 00:33:57.990 He constructs his current babyface persona as

00:33:57.990 –> 00:34:00.750 the direct, calculated antidote to his old heel

00:34:00.750 –> 00:34:03.789 tendencies. So the smile is brighter now because

00:34:03.789 –> 00:34:06.490 he knows exactly how effective his scowl used

00:34:06.490 –> 00:34:09.250 to be. Poetically put, yes. You can’t effectively

00:34:09.250 –> 00:34:11.469 portray the light without intimately knowing

00:34:11.469 –> 00:34:14.690 the shadow. I really like that. Okay, last myth

00:34:14.690 –> 00:34:17.960 here. Production secrets. We need to talk about

00:34:17.960 –> 00:34:21.460 botches. The dreaded B word of the internet wrestling

00:34:21.460 –> 00:34:24.179 community. There was a report this week of a

00:34:24.179 –> 00:34:27.139 big botch on Friday Night Smackdown and subsequently

00:34:27.139 –> 00:34:30.300 some real backstage heat on the competitors involved

00:34:30.300 –> 00:34:33.179 when they got back to the curtain. First, for

00:34:33.179 –> 00:34:36.400 the uninitiated listeners, clearly define a botch

00:34:36.400 –> 00:34:40.079 and define heat. Simply put, a botch is a mistake

00:34:40.079 –> 00:34:43.179 during a match. A move timed wrong, a foot slipping

00:34:43.179 –> 00:34:45.500 on the ropes, a dropped catch, or a missed cue.

00:34:45.900 –> 00:34:48.519 Heat is the resulting backstage anger or resentment

00:34:48.519 –> 00:34:51.420 from your peers, the producers, or the management.

00:34:51.659 –> 00:34:53.940 So someone messed up a move on live TV and people

00:34:53.940 –> 00:34:55.940 in the back are mad, but everyone makes mistakes,

00:34:56.159 –> 00:34:58.559 right? It’s live TV. Right. But the nuance here,

00:34:58.619 –> 00:35:00.360 and this is what the fans online almost always

00:35:00.360 –> 00:35:02.679 miss when they complain, is that the heat from

00:35:02.679 –> 00:35:05.139 management isn’t usually about the physical mistake

00:35:05.139 –> 00:35:07.519 itself. It’s almost entirely about the recovery.

00:35:07.760 –> 00:35:10.380 How you fix it on the fly while millions are

00:35:10.380 –> 00:35:13.019 watching. Exactly. Pro wrestling is essentially

00:35:13.019 –> 00:35:15.460 live theater mixed with high speed gymnastics.

00:35:16.000 –> 00:35:19.579 Things go wrong every single night. A true veteran

00:35:19.579 –> 00:35:22.739 knows how to cover it up seamlessly. If you swing

00:35:22.739 –> 00:35:25.199 and completely miss a punch, you immediately

00:35:25.199 –> 00:35:27.840 step forward and grab a tight headlock. If you

00:35:27.840 –> 00:35:30.460 slip off the top rope, you hit the mat and instantly

00:35:30.460 –> 00:35:33.000 grab your knee, selling an injury. You protect

00:35:33.000 –> 00:35:36.460 the illusion at all costs. So the real heat comes

00:35:36.460 –> 00:35:38.900 down on the rookies when they panic. Yes, when

00:35:38.900 –> 00:35:41.420 they freeze like a deer in headlights, when they

00:35:41.420 –> 00:35:44.219 completely break character, stand up and look

00:35:44.219 –> 00:35:45.900 over at the referee with a face that says, what

00:35:45.900 –> 00:35:48.260 do I do next? That completely exposes the business.

00:35:48.320 –> 00:35:50.380 That makes it look fake to the guy changing channels.

00:35:50.539 –> 00:35:52.739 The veterans in the back get angry not because

00:35:52.739 –> 00:35:55.059 you slipped, gravity happens to everyone, but

00:35:55.059 –> 00:35:57.019 because you didn’t have the ring awareness to

00:35:57.019 –> 00:35:59.920 handle the slip professionally. That is a crucial,

00:36:00.139 –> 00:36:03.099 crucial distinction to make. It’s about maintaining

00:36:03.099 –> 00:36:06.059 professionalism. Not demanding robotic perfection.

00:36:06.420 –> 00:36:09.099 Correct. The show must go on and it must look

00:36:09.099 –> 00:36:11.639 real. All right. We are heading into the homestretch

00:36:11.639 –> 00:36:14.719 here. Segment six, listener recommendations and

00:36:14.719 –> 00:36:18.239 viewing guide. We’ve thrown a ton of inside baseball

00:36:18.239 –> 00:36:20.599 info at you today. What should the listeners

00:36:20.599 –> 00:36:22.880 actually go out and watch this coming week? I

00:36:22.880 –> 00:36:25.260 have a few specific recommendations to keep an

00:36:25.260 –> 00:36:28.400 eye on. Hit me with them. First, for pure entertainment

00:36:28.400 –> 00:36:31.619 value, go find that smartphone clip of Dominic

00:36:31.619 –> 00:36:34.340 Mysterio meeting his twin in the airport. It

00:36:34.340 –> 00:36:36.619 is circulating everywhere. It is an absolute

00:36:36.619 –> 00:36:39.480 masterclass in staying in character while completely

00:36:39.480 –> 00:36:42.099 acknowledging the sheer absurdity of the situation.

00:36:42.320 –> 00:36:44.360 It will definitely make you laugh. Oh, definitely

00:36:44.360 –> 00:36:47.559 check that out. It’s gold. Second. Keep a very

00:36:47.559 –> 00:36:50.139 close eye on Dorian Van Dux down in the developmental

00:36:50.139 –> 00:36:52.659 system. The vampire himself. The artist formerly

00:36:52.659 –> 00:36:55.519 known as Mike DiVecchio, yes. Yeah. Watch his

00:36:55.519 –> 00:36:57.900 upcoming matches. Try to ignore the silly name

00:36:57.900 –> 00:36:59.820 for a moment and just watch the physical work

00:36:59.820 –> 00:37:02.760 in the ring. See how his brawling style adapts

00:37:02.760 –> 00:37:05.559 to the WWE camera style. It’s going to be a great

00:37:05.559 –> 00:37:08.480 case study in watching a raw indie talent evolve

00:37:08.480 –> 00:37:11.500 under the massive WWE production umbrella. Okay,

00:37:11.559 –> 00:37:14.039 and what storyline should we be actively tracking

00:37:14.039 –> 00:37:17.960 this week? Two things to track. One, the Timothy

00:37:17.960 –> 00:37:21.579 Thatcher GM role over in Evolve. Is this leading

00:37:21.579 –> 00:37:25.000 to a completely new weekly episodic show format

00:37:25.000 –> 00:37:28.230 for the network? Is Evolve going to become a

00:37:28.230 –> 00:37:31.449 dedicated shoot style mat wrestling brand? Tracking

00:37:31.449 –> 00:37:33.789 how Thatcher manages that young roster will give

00:37:33.789 –> 00:37:36.869 us huge clues about the future direction of WWE’s

00:37:36.869 –> 00:37:39.510 entire developmental tier. I am glued to that

00:37:39.510 –> 00:37:42.190 one. I love the technical stuff. And two, the

00:37:42.190 –> 00:37:44.570 ongoing fallout of the swerve Strickland suspension

00:37:44.570 –> 00:37:48.440 over in AEW. Track the weeks he is gone. When

00:37:48.440 –> 00:37:50.800 does he finally return? And more importantly,

00:37:50.920 –> 00:37:53.039 when he does step back through the curtain, pay

00:37:53.039 –> 00:37:55.340 close attention to the level of violence. If

00:37:55.340 –> 00:37:58.199 he comes back noticeably more dangerous and unhinged,

00:37:58.199 –> 00:38:00.800 we know the storyline fine was the direct catalyst

00:38:00.800 –> 00:38:03.699 for a major monster main event push. I cannot

00:38:03.699 –> 00:38:05.679 wait for Swerve to come back. The pop is going

00:38:05.679 –> 00:38:07.380 to be massive. Me neither. It’s going to be great

00:38:07.380 –> 00:38:09.159 television. All right. That brings us to the

00:38:09.159 –> 00:38:10.940 end of another massive show. Let’s recap the

00:38:10.940 –> 00:38:13.039 big stuff quickly. We covered the complicated

00:38:13.039 –> 00:38:15.239 business landscape of the Elimination Chamber,

00:38:15.460 –> 00:38:18.039 why those ticket sales might be a little soft

00:38:18.039 –> 00:38:20.480 due to the Jeff Jarrett theory of market saturation.

00:38:21.360 –> 00:38:24.099 We analyzed Dominic Mysterio’s global expansion

00:38:24.099 –> 00:38:27.340 and what holding the AAA megatitle means for

00:38:27.340 –> 00:38:29.360 his character. We looked at the deep psychology

00:38:29.360 –> 00:38:32.159 of Liv Morgan’s Tears on Raw and the highly strategic

00:38:32.159 –> 00:38:36.159 pulling of the Io Sky vs. Julia match to artificially

00:38:36.159 –> 00:38:38.539 build pay -per -view anticipation. And we broke

00:38:38.539 –> 00:38:40.780 down the future of the industry with the WWE

00:38:40.780 –> 00:38:44.400 ID pipeline, the trademark rebranding of Dorian

00:38:44.400 –> 00:38:47.099 Van Dux, and the disciplinary storylines in AEW

00:38:47.099 –> 00:38:49.420 regarding Swerve and MJF. It has been a packed

00:38:49.420 –> 00:38:52.119 show, as always. Before we go, a very quick reminder

00:38:52.119 –> 00:38:54.219 to support the people who actively support us.

00:38:54.860 –> 00:38:57.159 Worldwrestlingevents .com and BetOnline. If you

00:38:57.159 –> 00:38:58.960 want to get in on the wrestling action this weekend,

00:38:59.099 –> 00:39:00.420 check the link right down in the description.

00:39:00.719 –> 00:39:04.039 Claim that exclusive bonus offer up to $250 in

00:39:04.039 –> 00:39:07.050 free bets plus 100 free spins. Do it. It is a

00:39:07.050 –> 00:39:08.750 great way to enhance the viewing experience.

00:39:09.289 –> 00:39:11.369 Now, my friend, send us off with a final thought,

00:39:11.510 –> 00:39:13.550 something for the fans to chew on until next

00:39:13.550 –> 00:39:15.909 week. Well, we talked a lot today about the Io

00:39:15.909 –> 00:39:18.650 Sky versus Julia match being pulled from TV,

00:39:18.769 –> 00:39:21.150 and it really made me think about the philosophical

00:39:21.150 –> 00:39:24.670 concept of the unseen match. In wrestling history,

00:39:24.789 –> 00:39:27.869 some of the absolute most legendary mythic matches

00:39:27.869 –> 00:39:30.690 are the ones that happened in empty arenas or

00:39:30.690 –> 00:39:32.989 on un -televised house shows with no cameras

00:39:32.989 –> 00:39:35.650 rolling or the ones that were promised on a marquee

00:39:35.650 –> 00:39:38.030 and never actually delivered due to injury or

00:39:38.030 –> 00:39:40.090 politics. Like the ultimate forbidden fruit.

00:39:40.230 –> 00:39:43.260 Exactly. Sometimes the matches we explicitly

00:39:43.260 –> 00:39:45.860 don’t get to see end up driving the business

00:39:45.860 –> 00:39:48.760 lore more than the ones we do see. The imagination

00:39:48.760 –> 00:39:51.480 of the fan is arguably the most powerful booking

00:39:51.480 –> 00:39:54.380 tool in the entire world. WWE management knows

00:39:54.380 –> 00:39:56.960 that. By withholding that dream match, they are

00:39:56.960 –> 00:39:58.780 essentially letting your imagination book the

00:39:58.780 –> 00:40:01.780 spots. And your imagination always books a five

00:40:01.780 –> 00:40:05.750 -star classic. Whoa. That is deep. And entirely

00:40:05.750 –> 00:40:08.710 true, honestly. I’ve booked some absolutely incredible

00:40:08.710 –> 00:40:10.769 WrestleMania main events in my head over the

00:40:10.769 –> 00:40:13.030 years. Haven’t we all? The perfect match only

00:40:13.030 –> 00:40:15.690 exists in the mind. Well, on that profound note,

00:40:15.809 –> 00:40:17.849 thank you for listening to World Wrestling Events.

00:40:18.369 –> 00:40:20.829 We will be back next week with more news, more

00:40:20.829 –> 00:40:23.289 rumors, and more wrestling. See you at the bell.

00:40:23.429 –> 00:40:24.130 See you at the bell.